Take a Hint
by Not-So-GentleFist
Summary: It's been two long years for Hinata since Naruto left the leaf village, but now he's back and Hinata's hormones are taking over. She's not going to stand back and watch him any longer, but just how far will she go to get the knucklehead to notice her? -OOC bolder Hinata
1. Prologue

**A:N: Hey! Back with my second fic! This one is gonna be completely different from my last, decided to do something that might be more my style... So I decided to make a pervy humor! This is just a little intro, so its gonna be shorter and more boring than what I hope for my other chapters, but if you like the idea, stay tuned for more!**

**Before we begin, I'd just like to thank everyone who read and reviewed my last fic (Just Like Everyone Else), thnx for the support &amp; feedback! To set the record straight: I'm a HUGE fan/supporter of the NaruHina pairing (they're the reason I read fanfiction). I understand if you were offended/disappointed with the other one, but I feel I woulda failed as a writer if I DIDN'T get that reaction, as it was meant to be a sad ending. The whole idea was just something I thought of and was curious to see, I don't think Hinata ould EVER actually do that in real... er, canon life. Without further ado, on with the sho... literature!**

* * *

They were the hardest two years of Hinata's life. When she heard Naruto would be leaving the leaf to train with Jiraiya, it hit her hard. When he actually left, it hit her even harder. The village just didn't feel the same without his boisterous self, unrestrainedly boasting and raising mischief throughout it, much to the joy of many of the villagers. However, Hinata missed hearing the blonde laughing and shouting on his way down the village streets, making himself known to everyone in a five mile radius. He was what made a normal day in Konoha interesting.

For a while, she just couldn't accept it. She would sometimes trek down to his old training grounds, like she often did when she watched the orange-clad shinobi, and wished to see those sharp, golden locks, those cute whisker marks strewn across his cheeks, and those beautiful blue eyes, deeper than the deepest ocean. But alas, he was training elsewhere now.

There were times Hinata missed her love so much, she just wanted to give up on everything. How could she ever succeed with her one inspiration gone? However, she knew she had to stay strong. She had made a promise to herself to get stronger too, so she could become a fine shinobi – and woman – the kind that would impress Naruto, the kind that he would want to be with.

So she trained too, harder than ever. Every day she improved by leaps and bounds, quickly gaining acknowledgement for her skills from her teammates and even her ever cold father. Not only did she grow into an impressive ninja, but it improved her confidence exponentially too, and her previous shy and nervous nature was a thing of the past.

However, there was one more change that Hinata undertook while Naruto was away, one that she hadn't planned on. One far more confusing, frustrating, and physically and mentally altering.

Hinata hit puberty. Hard.

Of course she was educated on the matter; her father had given her 'the talk' after she had graduated the academy and became a genin. This meant that Hinata had more or less been expecting many of the physical changes that occurred in her body, and realized they were perfectly natural. However, Hiashi being the prudish Hyuuga he was, was too embarrassed to mention anything to do with hormones or 'impure' urges. She learned about these the hard way.

Ever since he left, Hinata could never seem to get Naruto off her mind. She constantly imagined the day he would return to village. She would spot him coming through the Konoha gates and rush over to him. She would greet Naruto warmly, he would be so happy to see her again that he would wrap her in a tight hug, and tell her how much he missed her. Then Naruto would ask her out to Ichiraku's, and they would catch up. Hinata would imagine eating beside her blonde crush, all the incredible tales Naruto would have to tell her of his travels, and she imagined he would be impressed by all her accomplishments during his training trip too. But as her body changed, these thoughts of Naruto took an… _interesting_ turn as well.

Instead of the Konoha gates, Hinata was meeting Naruto in her bedroom. The hug turned into a passionate kiss. The blonde's signature orange clothes disappeared. Their conversation turned into incomprehensible moans as Naruto greedily slurped… something _other_ than noodles…

Hinata was deeply embarrassed by her fantasies, and as they became more frequent, proved to be a huge distraction, hindering her productivity in training and missions. In an attempt to clear her mind of these thoughts, she went to the only older woman she knew she could trust – Kurenai sensei. Hinata had hoped her sensei's talk would give her some help in controlling her imagination – that plan backfired horribly, as the more she learned about her urges and sexuality, the more vivid her fantasies became. Perhaps Kurenai went into too much detail, because now Hinata had daydreams of the blonde knucklehead that would put the Icha Icha series to shame.

When Hinata ran out of waking moments to fantasize about Naruto, those fantasies overflowed into her dreams. Kurenai had told Hinata about wetdreams, but Hinata felt like hers could have flooded Suna! She would need to take two showers every morning before meeting her team just so Kiba wouldn't get a nosebleed from the scent of her!

Indeed, it was a hard couple of years. However, it was all made worth it that day she went to the market, accompanied by her cousin Neji. It had been roughly two years since Naruto had left the village, which was why Hinata was so surprised when she suddenly heard thundering shouts coming from an all too familiar voice down the street. Not trusting her ears, Hinata immediately spun around to see an orange figure approaching from a distance that could only be the knuckleheaded ninja of her dreams.

Naruto Uzumaki.

* * *

**And that's the prologue! Keep up with the reviews, I was honestly surprised with the amount of reviews my first fic got in less than a day, hoping to see even more with this series! More to come, so please follow &amp; fav, and give me any feedback in the reviews! As you can tell this story is gonna be sorta pervy in nature, I'm planinng for the perv-level to increase gradually tho, so don't be shocked if my next chapter isn't lemon-city. Regarding which, as I said in the summary, this story is CURRENTLY T, however I may be adding some limes once I get things rolling, and MAYBE I'll end the series with a lemon. If you'd like to see that, help me make my decision in the REVIEWS, pce!**


	2. Chapter 1: What not to Wear to Training

**A/N: **Yo! After a few days of hard work… I decided to take a break and jot down another chapter. JK, I put **plenty **of work into this. Second chapter of Take a Hint is here! …Well, technically the first since chap 1 was a prologue. Some humor, some romance, and some partial nudity! Yay! Please keep up the favs/follows, but especially the reviews, and let me know that people are enjoying this! Hopefully this fiction gets more attention than Hinata does from Naruto, lol. Enjoy!

"Speech"

'_Thoughts'_

'_**Kyuubi'**_

* * *

Naruto Uzumaki.

There was no mistaking it, that was Konoha's knuckleheaded ninja. No one else had that loud, carefree attitude that could grab your attention from miles away. Not to mention he was the only shinobi brave enough to wear his trademark try-and-kill-me-orange outfit.

"So then I jumped out and told 'em, 'Try and kill me!'" Naruto shouted to his companion, making exaggerated hand gestures.

Yes, that was Naruto. Suddenly, the village street expanded by 5 miles, and Hinata couldn't wait long enough for Naruto to casually make his way to her. She hadn't seen the blonde object of her fantasies in two years, she couldn't wait another minute.

The lavender eyed kunoichi took a closer look at Naruto, and what she saw was not at all what she had expected. Hinata had expected Naruto to have changed, but what she saw shocked and awed her. The once short jinchuuriki had shot up at least a foot. The trademark orange and blue outfit he used to wear was exchanged for one that replaced the blue with black. His glowing blonde locks had grown a little longer, though remained just as untamed and spiky. His cute, whiskered face had lost its goofy, childlike qualities. He now bore a chiselled jaw and cheeks, complimented by his sun-kissed skin, and a barely noticeable hint of blonde stubble where facial hair had once grown. However, he still wore that foxy grin when he was amused just like Hinata remembered, and still had those heart-melting deep blue eyes.

It was all too much for her. The Naruto of Hinata's fantasies couldn't compare to the real deal, if only Hinata had known how he had turned out earlier. She couldn't help herself and began undressing Naruto with her eyes.

"Hinata-sama, why is your byakugan active?" questioned Neji curiously after turning away from an interesting stand.

" …Wha…? Oh! I…I… hadn't noticed." Hinata responded lamely, de-activating her byakugan and looking down with a mixture of shame and disappointment. _'Damn, I was just about to get below his abs… mmm…'_

Neji raised a brow suspiciously at this excuse, but was interrupted before he could question further.

"Hey! Neji! How've you been!" came a shout from down the street. Both Hinata and Neji turned to be greeted by the sight of Naruto not ten feet away from them, waving. The orange-clad shinobi jogged up to them with his wide grin, accompanied by Sakura.

"Naruto, is that you? Welcome back!" greeted Neji. A hint of a smile crept onto the ever stoic Hyuuga's face. "Did you just arrive back from your training with Jiraiya-sama?"

"Yeah, I just got back an hour ago! The old perv ditched me to go spy on the hot springs or somethin', and I met up with Sakura a while ago. She's been filling me in on everything that's been going on while I was gone. So I heard you're the only other one of the Konoha eleven who didn't become chuunin. I find that really surprising, but it's nice to know I'm not the only genin" Naruto chuckled.

"I'm afraid you still are. But don't worry Uzumaki, I'm in pretty much the same boat as you. Except I'm the only **jonin**" teased Neji, smirking superiorly.

"If you'd stop interrupting me, you'd know that" the pink-haired medic interjected, cross-armed.

Naruto merely smirked back. "That's too bad, I was really looking forward to kicking your butt again in the next chuunin exam."

"You so sure you can still beat me?"

"Believe it!" (**A/N: **sorry, it just slipped out)

After a short, tense pause, Neji chuckled silently. "I look forward to seeing what Jiraiya-sama has taught you. We must have a rematch sometime."

Naruto chuckled excitedly, then eased up his stance, glancing to Hinata quickly. "So Neji, who're you with? You get a girlfriend while I was gone?" teased Naruto with a Jiraiya-like grin. Hinata saddened upon hearing that her childhood love didn't remember her. Neji blushed lightly, but Sakura was the first to answer.

"Naruto you baka! That's Hinata, remember!" Sakura seethed, and conked Naruto on the top of the head.

"No way, Hinata? Wow, I totally didn't recognize you! You've really changed! You look good!" the whiskered ninja exclaimed happily. Hinata seemed to perk up a little at this and lifted her gaze from the ground.

"R-really?" Hinata asked. _'Where did that stutter come from! I thought I fixed that!'_ Apparently Naruto could still bring out her old habits. Fortunately, she didn't feel the urge to faint, and her blush was very slight, so she took it as a victory.

"Yeah! You look… nice with long hair." Naruto said, glancing away for a quick second. Hinata could've sworn he was blushing slightly too. "I was just about to go and make sure Ichiraku's didn't go out of business without me, you guys wanna come?"

Hinata opened her mouth to accept the offer, but before she could Neji spoke. "I am sorry, Naruto, but Hinata and I must attend a clan meeting today and should be going." Hinata glared at Neji. Neji saw this and gave her a stern look back. Hinata sighed defeatedly and agreed.

"That's too bad, maybe we can get together another time." Hinata nodded and gave a small smile before leaving with her cousin. She burned holes in the back of his shirt with her glare the entire walk to Hyuuga compound. Hinata knew it wasn't his fault she was busy, but she sure as hell wouldn't have minded being late for the meeting if it meant being with Naruto-kun for the first time in two years! What's even worse, they left him alone with Sakura! To get lunch! It was practically a date, and she was just letting it happen! Hinata really needed to go home and… _relieve some stress_.

* * *

The next day, Hinata began searching for Naruto, hoping he wouldn't be busy since he had just arrived back in the village the previous day. This hope was crushed, however, when she found out that he and the remnants of team 7 were meeting to test their teamwork. So basically, Naruto was spending more time with his old crush, Sakura. Hinata just hoped Naruto did not still have feelings for her.

Hinata shoved her worries aside for a while after she ran into Ino and Tenten. They had been on their way to their favourite café, and Hinata gladly joined them. After they were seated and ordered their food, the conversation quickly became focused on the return of Konoha's knucklehead ninja.

"Did you see him too Hinata?" Ino queried.

"Yes. We saw each other in the market yesterday, but I had to leave before I could really talk to him much."

"Yeah, same" responded Tenten.

"Did you **see** him though? Who would've thought Naruto would've gotten so tall!" Ino practically shouted.

"I know! When you think about it, Naruto actually turned out kinda… **hot.**" Tenten admitted.

Ino crossed her arms and looks away hesistantly. "…I guess… a little…" the blonde kunoichi mumbled, reluctant to admit that Naruto had actually become quite a looker. "…I mean, he does have that nice hair…" Ino began playing with her own.

"And those dreamy eyes," Tenten stated, gazing deeply into nothing.

"And those hard abs," mused Hinata, seemingly lost in her thoughts. The other two kunoichi whipped their heads to her with a look of surprise on their faces. Though Hinata may not be as socially terrified as she was when she was younger, she was most definitely not the most outspoken girl, especially when it came to boy talk. Ino and Tenten's expressions twisted into twin evil grins.

"How'd ya get a peek at his muscles, Hinata-chan?" Tenten questioned knowingly.

"Um… I… w-well…." Hinata stammered, thinking back to her byakugan abuse the previous day.

"Maybe she just asked nicely and he took off his shirt for her" Ino teased, donning a mock innocent look with puppy-dog eyes.

"Perhaps she followed him home and watched him change" suggested Tenten, imitating a stalker and slowly creeping towards Hinata.

"Or _maybe _Hinata was being a naughty little Hyuuga and misused her kekkei genkai~" Ino sang mockingly. Hinata was beet red and just tried to look away from her two teasing friends, who immediately surrounded her as closely as possible.

"So… did you happen to see… anything _else_…? Come on, you can tell us! We won't let Naruto know, come on!" begged Tenten.

"I didn't see anything else! I just looked at his upper body I swear!"

"Well, how was it?"

"It… well, uh… Naruto-kun is… **very** strong." Hinata finally answered, drooling slightly.

"He'd have to be, to carry around that huge package." Hinata's head turned to Ino so fast it broke the wind. "I mean, did you see the size of it! I don't think I could have wrapped my arms around it! It must weigh a tonne! Who do you think he gave it to? Or maybe he's keeping it to himself..." By the time the blonde kunoichi had stopped, Hinata's nose was releasing a life-threatening amount of blood, and her imagination was running so wild, one could actually see Hinata's thoughts if they looked closely enough inside her ear.

"I heard Naruto's sensei made him deliver a shipment of his newest novel to all the Konoha book stores so he could start 'researching' for the next one, whatever that means" Tenten clarified for Ino. At this, Hinata's mind slowly returned to reality.

"_Ohhh_, that explains why he seemed so irked" Ino observed.

"Yeah, it was a dick move. Can you imagine spending two years alone with that guy? I don't know how Naruto could stand it." Ino and Hinata nodded in agreement.

"He probably stayed for the _sights_" Ino stated suggestively, a hint of disgust evident in her tone.

"I suppose it would be nice, to see so many different lands and villages. I wouldn't mind travelling a bit too, I've always wan-"

"I didn't mean _those_ sights," Ino interrupted Hinata mid-sentence, "Naruto calls him ero-sennin for a reason you know." _Ah yes_, how could Hinata forget Naruto's favourite name for his sensei. But what was Ino getting at? "I'm sure the old lecher probably dragged Naruto to a lot of strip clubs and brothels while they weren't training."

"That can't be true. Naruto-kun was only twelve when he left with Jiraiya-sama! What kind of a man would bring a twelve-year-old to such a place!" Hinata rebuttled.

"You have **no** idea how bad this guy is Hinata! Remember our first chuunin exams? After the preliminaries were over, I went to the hot springs to try to relax. All of a sudden I heard this giggling coming from behind me, I turned around to see what it was and I saw that old bastard sitting on a tree branch just above the wall! When I screamed at him to get the fuck out, he just stared at me! And he was **so not** making eye contact, if you know what I mean." All three girls shuddered at Ino's tale.

* * *

**Across Konoha**

Jiraiya suddenly let out a large sneeze. It was immediately drowned out by the shrieks of a dozen terrified and enraged bathing women.

* * *

**Back at the café**

Hinata recomposed herself after the urge to vomit left her. "Still, Naruto-kun would never do anything so indecent with other women." This was something Hinata could not accept. She was saving herself for her love, and she had hoped that she would be his first too. But then again, two years with the infamous 'ero-sennin' was a long time…

"Come on, Hinata! You know how men are, and he's been privately taught by the worst of them all! I'm sure even he ha-" Ino froze, as if something had just clicked. She looked towards Tenten, who was doing the same. They both turned back to face Hinata with unnerving grins stretched across their faces.

"What do you mean _other _women, eh Hinata?" Tenten questioned teasingly.

Hinata immediately realized the mistake she made. "N-no! That's not what I meant! I-"

"What are you saying Hinata? Are you saying he _would_ – or perhaps, you would _want_ him to be pervy with our sweet, blushing little heiress?" Ino leaned closer to Hinata, as did Tenten. Both were giggling uncontrollably at the sight of the lavender eyed Hyuuga blushing and stuttering like she used too back in their academy days.

"I… ano.. W-well, I m-mean… T-that's not…" Hinata fumbled around for a lie, too embarrassed to admit her lust for the blonde. Her crush on Naruto was common knowledge – she had recently even found out some of her old academy classmates would actually henge into Naruto while he was away to get her to faint and take her lunch or copy her homework – but she was mortified at the thought of anyone knowing about all the graphic daydreams she had of the blonde, lest they think of her as a slut.

After a couple minutes of Hinata's fruitless stuttering around for an appropriate answer, Ino finally stopped her. "Geez Hinata, you must **really** still have it bad for him," Ino started, chuckling with Tenten, "I haven't heard you stutter like that in over a year!"

"Y-yes" Hinata answered as her face slowly returned to a more natural colour, thanking Kami they had changed the subject.

"Are you ever gonna make a move on that lughead? However much he's grown up, I'm sure he's just as dense as before, so don't expect him to just show up at your door with roses to ask you out!" Tenten said, making a good point. Hinata looked down for a moment, as if uncertain, but then looked up. Hinata's eyes gleamed a burning determination in them as she spoke.

"I will make Naruto-kun notice me this time. There's nothing I want more than to be with him, I'd do anything to have him feel the same way for me as I do for him." Hinata finished her little speech with a deep sigh laced with longing. Ino and Tenten just smiled at her, proud of her newfound resolve.

"So you want him to notice you, eh? I think I know how to do just that…" Ino offered a bit **too** enthusiastically.

"Oh no…" muttered Tenten.

"How?" Hinata stared at Ino, her eyes pleading for an answer.

"The first thing you need – is a new outfit! Get rid of that baggy old jacket! Naruto's never gonna pay attention to you if you don't give him something to look at!" Ino winked at Hinata, who looked away with a light blush. "You know what this calls for… MALL DAY!" Ino raised her hands, shaking and sqealing like a giddy child. Hinata and Tenten winced in pain as they covered their ears.

"Not again…." groaned Tenten weakly. She and Hinata were immediately grabbed by their shirts and dragged towards the shopping district by a gleeful blonde kunoichi.

* * *

The day's first rays of sun shone through the windows of the Hyuuga compound. Hinata opened her eyes, squinting from the brightness. She sat up and got out of her bed, walking lazily over to her closet. Sliding open the door, she gazed at the rows of new clothes she had bought the previous days. They were more… _revealing_ than she was used to wearing, but Ino had convinced her to buy them.

The heiress went through her new outfits, deciding on which to wear. She settled on a tight lavender tube top and a white mini-skirt. Hinata looked at her reflection in the mirror, uncertainty evident. However, she pushed her doubts aside with one deep breath and walked downstairs for breakfast.

It was a bit past noon, and Konoha's food district was bustling with hungry villagers and shinobi alike looking to get some lunch. Hinata chose this time to search for her hyperactive crush because it would be the easiest time to track him down. She knew exactly where he would be – Ichiraku's Ramen.

Hinata made her way to the ramen stand, and was not disappointed when she saw an orange figure sitting in the third chair from the left. Hinata had to pause for a minute to calm herself down.

'_It's ok, this is what you've been waiting for. Time to get Naruto-kun to notice me.'_ She gave herself a mental peptalk, but doubts clouded her mind. _'I did this all for him. I became stronger, I became more confident, I even bought these clothes. Now I just have to show him what I've become, tell him how I feel, and hope he feels the same. But… What if he doesn't? What if… I'm still not good enough? What if I start stuttering again! Or worse, faint! Maybe I should just try this another day… NO! I don't give up, and I don't go back on my word! That is my nindo! I'm going to go there and talk to Naruto-kun!'_

She was as prepared for this as she was ever going to be, she had convinced herself. Hinata took slow, yet unhesitant steps towards the stand. The blue-haired Hyuuga was now close enough to hear her love's voice. _'Just a few more steps…'_ she coaxed herself. It was very discouraging to know just how nervous the blonde could still make her. What good was all the courage in the world if it dissolved whenever she was around the one person she wanted the courage to talk to?

Hinata shoved her thoughts aside as she reached the restaurant, and took the seat next to Naruto. "Hello, Naruto-kun. Mind if I sit here?" _'Yes! No stuttering!'_

Naruto immediately recognized the voice. His face broke into a wide smile as he began to turn to face Hinata. "Sure, no problem! How's it going Hin –" Naruto fell silent, mouth still hanging agape. When he had turned to face Hinata, he was greeted by a very unexpected, but welcome sight. Instead of seeing the kunoichi in her usual attire, she was wearing an outfit only his sensei knew the right words to describe. If Naruto had to say what he thought of the outfit, the only word that would come to his mind would be – _'…hot…' _

He couldn't help but let his eyes roam up and down the form of the usually modest heiress. He had never seen so much of her figure, as it was usually buried underneath a baggy jacket. Naruto had no idea Hinata looked so… **hot**. Her top hugged her skin tightly, so even the parts that it covered were well defined, not that much of her was. He followed her milky skin, from her shoulders, to the generous portion of cleavage visible, to the uncovered portion of her flat, toned stomach. The miniskirt didn't do much of a better job covering Hinata's **hot** body. It cut off mid-thigh, allowing Naruto to see most of her leg, down to her sandals. The sight was just so… **hot**.

As Naruto took in seeing so much of Hinata's body, Hinata started to get uneasy under his gaze. _'He hasn't said anything for the last few mintes. He just keeps… _staring_. What is he thinking? Does he think I look attractive? Does he think I look like… a… a slut?' _"It's going g-good, H-how about you, N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata answered his unfinished question to break the awkward silence. Hinata couldn't help but stutter under the intensity of his gaze.

Naruto snapped out of his daze, shaking his head in an attempt to divert his attention away from her **hot** body._'I really need a larger vocabulary, just so I can say how __**hot**__ Hinata is. No! This is Hinata, stop ogling her! Goddammit ero-sennin!'_ "I – uh – doin' good." He blushed as he spoke. _'Smooth'_ he mentally berated himself.

Hinata, getting bold and curious, decided to ask Naruto the question that was eating her inside. "How do you like my new clothes, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked with her hands behind her back, staring bashfully into endlessly blue eyes.

"They… uh… They look really…" Naruto searched for an appropriate response while mentally chanting _'Don't say hot, don't say hot, don't say hot…' _"… don't say hot…" _'*mental sarcastic clap*'_

'_Did he mean to say that out loud?'_ Hinata watched the flustered jinchuuriki in front of her, and a small smile graced her lips. _'Looks like Ino's idea is working' _thought Hinata.

"I mean… it looks – uh… w-w-well – "

"Oi! Naruto, who's your pretty friend here?" Teuchi asked, Naruto never more glad to be interrupted.

"Oh, this is Hinata Hyuuga."

"Hello Hinata, it's a pleasure to meet you. What'll you have?"

"I'll have a beef ramen please."

"Coming right up." As the chef starts to walk towards the back of the restaurant, he gives a sly grin to Naruto. "Only back for three days and you already got yourself a girlfriend eh?"

Naruto blushes and waves his hands in front of his face in a panic. "No, no! It's not like that! Me and Hinata are just friends!" Hinata looked a little disheartened by this proclamation, but only for a second.

"Too bad, she seems like quite a catch." Teuchi teased. This time Hinata blushed. While the two teens awaited their meal, Hinata decided to ask Naruto about his trip, as she had been quite curious. A few bowls of ramen and a couple of stories later, Hinata had come to two realizations. The first was that Jiraiya-sama really is **that** perverted. It seemed whenever Naruto could have used some help, he always seemed to either be at a hot spring or a brothel (with **Naruto's** wallet). The second was that, where the whiskered teen was concerned, she wasn't much better.

The entire lunch, Hinata could not take her eyes off the boy. It amazed her how he could look so much better after only two years, and he was pretty cute to begin with. To Hinata, Naruto just oozed temptation and sex appeal. His voice was deeper and masculine, his body was tall and well-built from his training. Thank Kami Naruto likes to ramble, because if Hinata had to talk half as much as he did she was afraid nothing but drool would come out. However she was grateful every once in a while when the blonde would ask her for her opinion, because that meant she would get a glance of those lustrous sapphire orbs gazing at her curiously. It made her heart melt. She had noticed Naruto giving her a few shy glances himself when he thought she wasn't looking, and it made her confidence boost to near narcissistic levels. When the Uzumaki was slurping up the last of his ramen, Hinata was entranced by a drop of broth that fell upon his soft, wet lips and trickled down to his chiselled jaw. The lavender eyed girl wished so bad she could just lick it off for him, and savour the taste… _and she wasn't talking about the ramen_. She unconsciously leaned in closer in her daze.

Naruto noticed this, and spoke up. "Is there something wrong, Hinata?"

Hinata realized what she had been doing and snapped back. "No, Naruto. There is just something I… wanted to tell you…" Hinata responded, fear welling up inside her.

"What is it?"

"Ano… It is j-just that… I-I really… like Ichiraku's Ramen!" Hinata ended in a rushed panic. This was not what she had meant to say, but she couldn't bring herself to confess to her love. _'I'll just have to try to get him to go out with me without admitting my feelings, I still cannot bring myself to do it. Perhaps if I spend some more time with him and give him some hints, he'll catch on.'_

"Me too! Maybe we'll start seeing each other more often then." Naruto exclaimed cluelessly. "But right now, I gotta go to training. You're welcome to come if you want."

"I have the day off, so sure." Hinata played it off coolly, but inside her mind she was ecstatic. _'It's not a date, but Naruto-kun asked me to spend time with him! Does he enjoy spending time with me, or is he just being polite?'_

The two paid their bills and walked off towards the training grounds.

* * *

After making it to the training ground, Naruto and Hinata met up with Sakura and they sat under a tree, waiting for their eternally late sensei. The Hyuuga secretly observed the orange-clad shinobi to see how he was reacting towards Sakura. When they spoke, Naruto just seemed more friendly than anything, and he hadn't asked her out yet. Hinata took this as a good sign, hoping Naruto had outgrown his old crush.

When Kakashi finally arrived, he was not alone. Accompanying him were the other three jonin senseis, who had apparently all given their students the day off and were curious to see how strong the legendary sennin had trained Naruto to be.

When Kurenai saw how her student was dressed, she was surprised to say the least, but she quickly realized why Hinata had done this, and gave her a wink when they looked at each other.

After noticing Hinata's presence, Kakashi decided to have Naruto spar with her first, as he had already seen him fight Sakura. The copycat ninja told them to warm up with hand to hand combat, and no jutsus. This came much to Hinata's dismay, as it meant she could not activate her byakugan to… erm… _size up_ her opponent. It was probably for the best though – if she had an army of Naruto's signature shadow clones rushing her with her kekkei genkai active, she might get a sight that would cause her to faint and never wake up.

Naruto and Hinata got into their fighting stances, and charged each other at Kakashi's signal. After the fight had begun, Hinata realized she was not at all dressed for training.

Her sandals were not built for comfort, making her movements slower and more awkward. She was also in a lot of discomfort due to her currently unrestrained assets bouncing around perpetually. _'"Don't wear a bra" she said. "Men like it when they jiggle" she said. Last time I listen to Ino.'_ With every leap, dodge, lunge, and turn, she could feel the inertia acting on her large rack trying to pull her back the other way. This did not go unnoticed, as Naruto quickly shifted onto the defensive, unable to focus on hitting his target.

Hinata came in with a kick. As she did, Naruto all but froze like a deer caught in the headlights, and the kick landed. _'Now's my chance to impress Naruto-kun'_ the blue-haired kunoichi told herself, determined to show Naruto how strong she had become while he was gone. Hinata sent a flurry of blows to the blonde, all only to be dodged or blocked. She then got down and performed a sweeping kick, which Naruto merely jumped over. As Naruto flipped over her, Hinata turned and landed another unopposed kick to his side as he was landing.

Hinata was beginning to wonder why it seemed so easy to land a hit against Naruto, especially when she came in with a kick. Then she noticed that not only Naruto, but everyone watching the spar stopped and stared whenever she began one of her kicks. That's when she realized – she was in a mini skirt – everyone at the training ground was getting a clear look at her panties each time she raised her leg! Kurenai was covering her eyes in embarrassement, Asuma just went wide eyed, Gai was closing his eyes mumbling something about youth, and Kakashing was leaning in closer unblinking.

Hinata stopped and held down her skirt tightly, covering her unmentionables in shame. However, this caused the hit that Naruto had lined up to hit, though a bit off-target. Immediately after Hinata recovered, everyone froze as if time itself had stopped. Afternoticing, she looked confusedly at Naruto, who then blushed like a tomato and looked away. Hinata was about to ask what was wrong, but before she could, she got her answer in the form of Naruto blindly pointing down at her. The heiress looked down to see what the problem was, and was instantly mortified at what she saw. Her top had put up a noble fight, but ultimately failed to contain her plump assets, as her left breast had burst out of her shirt.

The reactions of the senseis varied across the board. Kurenai had gasped and was currently gaping in shock. Asuma's cigarette fell out of his mouth, smudging ashes on his shoes. Gai was covering his eyes, shaking spastically and chanting aloud "Think youthful thoughts! Think youthful thougts!" Kakashi had his sharingan eye uncovered, and both were wide as he leaned in to the point of nearly falling over. Jiraiya was attempting not to let the blood gushing from his nose stain his notepad as his pencil danced swiftly across it.

Kakashi heard the scratching noise of Jiraiya's pencil, turned around and fell over comically. He immediately got back up, not averting his eyes from the sight before him a second time. "Jiraiya, what are you doing here?"

"Research" Jiraiya responded in an elated, pervy tone.

"Well you arrived at the perfect time."

"Not soon enough, I missed the whole panty show."

"How did you know about that?"

"Same way I always do. Sage mode. The nature chakra lets you sense **everything**" Jiraiya clarified matter-of-factly.

"Glad the only person entrusted with such a legendary and powerful jutsu is putting it to good use" the cycloptic jonin said sincerely.

It was too much for Hinata to take. Suppressing the urge to faint, she swiftly stuffed her protruding breast back into its confines, and ran away in sheer panic and embarrassment.

This day had not gone as she had hoped at all.

* * *

And that's the first (second?) chapter! What's gonna happen next time? How far will Hinata go to get the attention of her love? Will Icha Icha Shippuden be a best seller? Will Kakashi ever avenge the death of his father? All this, except for the last two coming up soon!

But seriously, hope you enjoy, it's been interesting as a newb to writing fanfiction seeing just where the story takes me. Sometimes it goes exactly like I planned, other times it just sorta unfolds as you write, it feels almost like the characters are alive in a universe within my own mind… Or maybe I'm just going insane. (If you knew me, you'd probly guess the second one)

Anyways, I got a lot of the next chapter planned out in my head, just need to actually write it and fill a few gaps, hopefully it'll be up within a week like this one. Until then – **FAV, FOLLOW, REVIEW, TWERK!**


	3. Chapter 2: The Sleepover Part 1

**A/N:** Yo! Chapter 2 (3?) is here! I know, the whole sleepover thing is pretty cheesy, but I think I did a good job with it! I enjoyed writing it at least. It turned out longer than I expected, so I'm gonna have to make this sleepover a 2-parter, for the sake of consistency concerning chapter length. Enjoy! (P.S. – things are about to heat up a little bit!)

* * *

After the incident at the training grounds, Hinata ran straight to the Hyuuga compound and locked herself in her room. She was not in the mood to talk to anyone right now. Things were going so well with her crush at first, only for her to screw it all up and embarrass herself right in front of him. Hinata only came out of her room that night for dinner, and desperately avoided any questions about her day, which was tough to do, as Hiashi, Hanabi and Neji all noticed her downtrodden expression, and wanted to know what was wrong.

The heiress could have holed herself up for weeks in her room, if it were not for the fact that she had training again the next day. This time, she opted to wear her usual black mesh top, to avoid any more _incidents_. However, for the second time in years, she left her big baggy jacket behind. Seeing the way Naruto had reacted to her without it had really boosted her self-image. If she looked good enough for her Naruto-kun, then she no longer felt the need to hide herself behind all those layers.

When the lavender-eyed kunoichi met with her team, she could barely look her sensei in the eye. Thankfully, Kurenai didn't bring up the previous days antics. After she had dismissed team 8 though, she held Hinata back, and told her that what had happened wasn't that bad, and that she was there for her if Hinata ever needed to talk about anything. This made her student feel a little bit better.

Of course, this relief vanished as quickly as it came when she ran into Ino and Tenten again, the former laughing hysterically. Apparently they had heard about the whole thing from Sakura earlier that day. Hinata now had a second reason to hate the pinkette.

"Don't you think you went a bit _over the top_, eh Hinata?" Ino teased, laughing uncontrollably. "You really _milked _that opportunity, didn't you? Did you ever let how you feel for the knucklehead _slip out_?" Hinata could tell she was not going to stop any time soon.

"Shut it Ino, leave the poor girl alone!" Tenten gave Ino a glare, however it was very ineffective as her expression kept flickering between a frown and smirk, as she was obviously holding back her own laughter for Hinata's sake.

"Look at it this way, Naruto would have to be a real _boob_ to not notice you now!" Ino snickered, now making a (poor) attempt to hide how hilarious she found the whole situation. Hinata just looked down with a hopeless expression.

Tenten gave Ino a sharp punch in the shoulder. "Stop it already! You're just making her feel worse!" Tenten turned to Hinata with a sympathetic gaze. "I'm sure it wasn't that bad. You shouldn't be so down! Come on, cheer up!"

"Yeah, you're usually so _perky _and now your mood is just _sagging_ down!"Tenten clamped her hand over the blonde's mouth before she could say anymore.

"Come on, I know you'll bounce back from this." Ino let out a muffled snicker at the word _bounce_. "I'm sure Naruto won't think any differently of you, you know how he is. I am sure he'll just forget about it."

Tenten's speech gave Hinata a little bit of reassurance, however she decided to leave the pair before Ino broke free of the bun-haired ninja's hold.

Though Hinata was mortified of facing Naruto again, she realized she was going to have to if she ever wanted to get anywhere with him. While she walked down the Konoha streets towards the Hyuuga compound, she thought of how she would make her next move. The lovesick girl then realized that if she wanted to avoid any more public humiliation, she would have to get the object of her affections alone.

* * *

Much to Hinata's disappointment, she did not end up seeing the hyperactive blonde for a few days. At least it gave her time to get over her embarrassment.

The two finally met while Hinata was on her way home after a dinner at her favourite restaurant, and came across the orange-clad shinobi walking out of the hokage building. The oranges and yellows of the ninja seemed to glow brighter than the setting sun to Hinata. She jogged up behind her love and tapped him on his shoulder.

"Hi Naruto-kun," Hinata greeted sweetly. She let out a small smile as Naruto turned to her. Naruto let out an awkward smile too as the two began to walk side-by-side. Hinata caught his expression, and guessed he was still nervous talking to her after their sparring incident. The lavender eyed girl decided to try to avoid the subject. "So, Naruto-kun, what were you doing at the hokage building?"

"Oh, I just came back from a mission and had to give baa-chan my report" he said, a bit more at ease.

"So how was your first mission back in the leaf?"

"It was ok I guess." Naruto pouted, obviously it had not been an exciting mission. "We were just escorting some merchants to a town not too far away. The pay was ok, but it was pretty boring. Nothing interesting really happened." Hinata let out a little giggle. Only Naruto complains when nothing _interesting_ happens on a mission, since by interesting he means being attacked by powerful opponents. "Hey! What's so funny!" Naruto snapped at Hinata, with a fake indignant pout.

"Nothing, nothing" Hinata said, still smiling.

Naruto simply jerked his head up with a "hmph," the pout still on his lips. Those soft, wet lips…

Hinata broke out of her trance staring at the boy after he suddenly put on a serious face and began talking. "Look, about the other day… I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to do that." Naruto rubbed the back of his head weakly, refusing to make eye contact. Hinata could feel his discomfort as hers began to build a bit too.

"I-it is ok. It w-was an accident." Hinata couldn't help but stutter, she was still embarrassed about the incident herself.

"…Thanks. And if it makes you feel any better, I didn't look…" Naruto said, beginning to look as if he had started to take up Shikamaru's favourite pastime of cloud-watching. This comment did put Hinata at-ease, but a part of her was also disappointed. It spoke volumes for how much of a gentleman her love was, but deep down, a part of her was hoping he had looked, and that he had liked what he saw. If she were in Naruto's position, she was not so sure she would be able to say the same. "I won't go around telling people either, I know how embarrassing that must have been." Hinata brightened up when he looked back at her, but her face fell after she registered what he said.

"It doesn't matter. Sakura already told Ino, and you know how she gossips. Half the town probably already knows." Naruto began to frown with her. How could her friends humiliate her like that? It was bad enough his team and all the senseis saw. Not to mention Jiraiya, who was probably in the process of publishing their escapades.

"Cheer up Hinata, I'm sure it isn't so bad. Is there anything I could do to make it up to you and take your mind off of it?" Naruto asked, waiting for a response attentively.

"Well… Maybe you could come over and you could tell me a few more stories from your trip? The ones you told me already were really interesting." Hinata smiled up at Naruto hopefully, awaiting a response.

Naruto scrunched his face into a contemplative look. "I dunno, it's getting pretty late." Hinata looked around, realizing that darkness fell upon the town while the two were walking, unbeknownst to her.

"You could spend the night with me if you would like" Hinata blurted out, realizing moments later what she had said. She managed to keep a calm face, but on the inside she was shaking with anticipation and disbelief of what she had just suggested. The blue-haired girl stared at her crush, fingers mentally crossed.

"You mean like a sleepover? That sounds pretty fun," _'Yes yes yes yes yes yes' _thought Hinata, "But don't you have like a really strict dad or something? You sure he would be okay with this?" The whiskered teen had a point. The forever uptight Hiashi, head of the Hyuuga clan, would never allow someone to sleep overnight in the Hyuuga compound, let alone a boy alone with his daughter for the night…

Hinata's face fell so hard it made an impact crater. "Actually, probably not. I had not thought about that…"

"If you want we could do it at my place instead" Naruto offered.

'_Naruto-kun just invited me to his house. His house where he lives alone. To spend the night. Naruto-kun invited me to spend the night at his house where we will have complete privacy and can do whatever we want… I have to answer him before I lose focus here!' _"Yes! I would love to!" the usually quiet girl all but shouted out, surprising the blonde.

The boy nearly junped, startled by her outburst, but he soon gave one of his usual foxy grins and chuckled heartily. "All right, how 'bout you go back to your place to get your stuff and meet me in an hour. My apartment is right around the corner there," the blonde pointed to the apartment complex, "I'm in room number 9. Sound like a plan?"

Hinata had feigned paying attention to Naruto's directions, as she already knew where Naruto lived from years of stalki – er, _admiring_ the teen. Hinata gave him a manic nod, unable to force anymore words out of her throat without squealing with joy. Tonight was going to be a good night.

* * *

After packing her things, Hinata headed towards Naruto's apartment. The heiress had changed into a dark blue tank top, which showed off a good amount of cleavage and her navel, and some tight matching shorts that barely covered the top of her thighs, displaying her long legs and accentuating her butt. She carried a bag filled with everything she needed for an overnight stay. It contained a sleeping bag, her toothbrush, a change of clothes, and a lavender sheer chemise she also bought on her shopping trip with Ino. _'Just in case… hehe…'_

While Hinata would not normally suspect Naruto of trying to pull anything perverted, he _**was**_ going to be having a girl alone with him in his little apartment overnight. It would be an opportunity she did not think any hot-blooded teenage boy would waste. And considering he was taught privately for two years by the legendary super pervert, Hinata was hoping Jiraiya was able to influence Naruto's mind _just a little_… That was why she had packed her skimpiest nightwear. If she still could not tell her love how show felt, she would be _**more**_ than happy to _show_ him how she felt – both figuratively _and_ literally.

The hopeful Hyuuga arrived at Naruto's doorstep. She ended up taking a bit longer than an hour, due to her father's thorough inquiry into what she was doing tonight, though she had convinced him she was just spending the night at Ino's. Hinata knew her father would not have allowed her to spend the night alone with any boy, let alone Naruto. For some reason, her father had also looked down on the poor Uzumaki, but would never explain why. Hinata pushed all thoughts to the back of her mind in order to suppress the perverted grin she had acquired from fantasizing about what the two could end up doing tonight on the way. She raised her hand and knocked firmly on the door.

After a short moment, she was let in by the smiling blonde, who told her where she could put her bag and shut the door behind her. What she didn't expect was to be greeted by the rest of the rookie nine and Team Gai mingling inside. Hinata looked shocked, but then crestfallen. Obviously Naruto had really gotten into the whole _sleepover_ idea. _'There goes our _alone_ time…'_

"Um… Naruto-kun… How did you invite so many people over so quickly?"

"Shadow clones." _'Of course.'_

"Hey, look, Hinata's here!"

"Hey Hinata!"

"Alright! Now everyone's here!"

"Yeah, it's been a while since the whole gang got together!"

"I agree! It is a prime display of the youthful bonds of friendship that we all share for everyone to come together like this!"

* * *

**On a Barren Street Elsewhere in Konoha**

"It is strange that Kiba would not be at his home at this hour, or Hinata. Hmm… For that matter, I have been unable to find anyone recently. I have the feeling I am being left out of something again. Ironic, that my friends would forget about me, as if I were as small and insignificant as an insect. But that is why I have all of you. **I **would never forget about any of **you**, Bugsy, Bugtilda, Bugson, Buggy, Bugbert, Bugtholomew…." Shino continued sullenly conversing with his insects, sulking in a dark alley on the way back to the Aburame compound.

* * *

**Back in Naruto's Apartment**

After everyone had stopped their small talk amongst themselves, everyone's attention shifted to the owner of the apartment. The ninjas, many of which had not had the time yet to speak much to Naruto due to training or missions, overwhelmed him with questions about his journey. The blonde merely adopted his usual foxy grin and asked everyone to sit down in front of him. Naruto, being the creative and energetic person he is, couldn't simply _tell_ his comrades his stories from the past two years. Instead, through the summoning of a small troupe of shadow clones and extensive use of henges, set up his own little apartment theater. Everyone else just chuckled at his antics. It was so Naruto.

After his sixth tale (and second knocked-over lamp) the Naruto players took a quick bow, while their audience gave them a round of applause. The others were not as dense as Naruto, and could tell that most of the stories had been over-exaggerated, but it had certainly been entertaining. After their cheers wore down, Ino shouted out "I think it's time we get some games going in here!"

"What did you have in mind Ino?" Kiba asked the mind walker.

"Well, this **is** a sleepover, so how about some truth or dare!" Ino said all too enthusiastically. The girls squealed in their excitement, while half of the guys groaned and the other half remained neutral. _'Oh no… what if someone asks about my crush? I'll just have to stick to dares then… Hmm… Maybe I could have some fun with this'_ Hinata thought, a devilish smile appearing on her lips. She hoped lady luck would be on her side.

After convincing some of the more reluctant members of the group, the shinobi all gathered in a circle. Choji grabbed one of his empty soda bottles and dropped it inbetween them all. Since Ino was the one who suggested it, she took the liberty of claiming the first spin. It landed on Neji.

"Truth or dare?" Ino asked.

"Truth" Neji replied blandly, obviously not interested in the game. Ino put her finger to her chin with a contemplative look on her face. After a few seconds, her mouth stretched into an unnerving grin.

"Have you ever used your byakugan to look through womens' clothes?"

Neji was caught off guard by this. He broke out into a cold sweat, and a blush crept onto his face as he opened his mouth to speak. "….yes…." he mumbled, studying the grain of the wooden floor he was sitting on.

The reactions varied from shocked gasps, to teasing smirks and snickers, to straight up hysterical laughter. _'Who would have thought my cousin has a perverted side. Perhaps it runs in the family. I am just glad I didn't get that question'_ Hinata thought with a mixture of mild shock and relief. Neji ashamedly spun the bottle without looking up. It landed on Choji this time.

"Truth or dare."

"Gimme a dare!"

Neji glanced around the apartment looking for ideas. He saw the collection of Kami knows how old instant ramen cups which would usually litter Naruto's floor, but were stacked on the counter in a half-hearted attempt to clean for the company. They still had some noodles and broth at the bottom. "I dare you to pour all of that unfinished ramen into one cup and chug it." All of the girls looked like they wanted to puke, while the guys just scrunched up their faces in disgust, letting extended "uuuggghhhh"s and "eeeewwww"s out of their mouths. Choji looked behind him to the stack without flinching.

"I thought you were gonna give me something tough!" Choji boasted. He walked up to the counter, grabbed a used cup and poured the others' remainders into it, one by one. Then, with a big chug, devoured the obviously expired food. A few of the girls ran to the bathroom and actually did vomit, while the rest swiftly turned away and voiced their disgust in unison. Choji seemed weirdly unphased by the mouthful. He returned to the circle after a burp and spun the bottle. This time Kiba was the target.

"Truth! I'm gonna hurl if I gotta do something like that." Kiba waited for the chubby ninja's question.

"Have you ever tried Akamaru's dog food?"

Kiba was obviously not pleased by this question. He crossed his arms and snapped "Just once, okay!" A few of the others stuck out their tongues and once again groaned a loud "ugh!"

"So you draw the line at old ramen, but dog food is ok?" Tenten picked on the dog lover.

"Hey! That stuff actually got a lot of nutrients and stuff you know!" the Inuzuka desperately defended himself.

"Well, it did give you a nice thick coat" Ino ruffled Kiba's hair playfully with a grin while everyone except him laughed. Kiba just growled and glared at Ino. Having had enough, the dog breeder hurriedly spins the bottle, landing on Sakura.

"So what'll it be Sakura, truth or dare?"

"I'll take a dare." Sakura gave a look that said 'bringiton!'

Kiba just gave an evil grin. "Alright then, I dare you to kiss the knucklehead over there" Kiba challenged, pointing to Naruto. There rest of the group whooped, while Sakura's eyes widened and her mouth hung agape. A plethora of emotions were swimming through Hinata right now. Shock, anger, jealousy, betrayal, sadness. How could her own teammate do this to her? Hinata felt like the Inuzuka may have had a thing for her, but she didn't think he would do something like this. Either he was trying to hook Naruto up with Sakura so she would give up on him, or his dog-brain was less observant than Naruto's and he hadn't picked up on her crush yet. With Kiba, it could really be either. _'I am __**definitely**__ hiding some of Sakura's cooking in dogbreath's room. Anything that tastes that bad __**has**__ to smell horrible when it expires.'_

"Do I really ha-"

"Yes" Kiba cut the pinkette off.

Sakura frowned indignantly, and mumbled something along the lines of "so unfair." She turned to her teammate and squeezed her eyes shut. She leaned in at an excrutiatingly slow pace, while Naruto blushed and waited nervously. Eventually their lips met, and Sakura furrowed her brow harder while the whiskered teen shut his eyes also, blushing an even deeper red.

Hinata gave the most hateful glare to Sakura, unnoticed by the others who were focused on the action in front of them. _'That bitch may have gotten a kiss from my Naruto-kun, but I will have the next one! I'll top her! I'll get more than a kiss! And I'll tie her up and make her watch!" _Hinata's mind was wandering into a very dark – and oddly perverted – area, completely forgetting the medic shinobi was being dared to do this to her love.

After a few short seconds passed, Sakura quickly pulled away, and the two were met with the whoops of their friends. Naruto maintained his blush and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, at a loss for words. Sakura went straight to the bottle, not giving the rest of the group time to fluster her with comments and questions. The bottle landed on Lee this time.

"Alright. Lee, truth o-" before Sakura had finished, a Naruto clone barged loudly through the door with a bag in each hands.

"Hey boss, I got the sake!" the clone exclaimed proudly, raising the bags. Everyone looked towards him.

"Hey Naruto, how did you manage to get the alcohol?" Choji asked.

"**Duh, **henge" Naruto stated, making it sound as if it were obvious. His guests all sweatdropped. How did none of them think of that before! Not even Shikamaru had thought about it! Or perhaps he did, but just found it too troublesome. "What the heck took you so long?!" Naruto sounded annoyed.

"I sorta ran into lady Tsunade at the sake shop, and –"

"Shit! She didn't find you out, did she?!" Naruto seemed scared. He knew how hard that woman hit. Next to ero sennin, he was her second favourite punching bag, and was constantly on her bad side for calling her baa-chan. It didn't take much to give her a reason to send him through the nearest and thickest wall.

"Course not! I was henged as Kakashi-sensei the whole time, so I just kinda pretended to be reading his book to avoid eye-contact or starting up a conversation." The clone smirked and chuckled at his genius.

"Great! Now we can get this thing started!" Naruto cheered with his hand in the air, as the clone started passing out cups and the sake. After everyone had a drink (except for Lee of course) the game resumed. Lee streaked around the apartment building, Tenten took her hair out of her buns, Naruto admitted he once let a man fondle him in sexy-jutsu form (training isn't free you know), which sent shivers down everyone's spines, Shikamaru admitted he liked Temari (much to Ino's disappointment), and Tenten had to kiss Neji (much to Tenten's excitement).

By now, the liquor had started to loosen them all up. It was Tenten's turn, and her target was Ino, who chose truth. "Who do you think has the most… _useful_ jutsu in the bedroom?" Tenten wriggled her eyebrows suggestively, causing the blonde to blush, while the guys all started yelling out what they wanted her to pick.

"Partial-expansion jutsu!"

"You'd be surprised by what I can do with my shadows."

"There are many nerves on the body which can cause extreme pleasure, and the gentle fist can stimulate _any_ of them."

"Come on, sexy-jutsu! It's got **sexy** in the freaking name!"

"…I'm sure shadow clones could be very fun too…"

"Yeah! Thanks Hinata!"

"What about dynamic marking!"

"…"

Everyone stared in complete silence at Kiba as if he were an alien. Nobody wanted to know what kind of stuff he was into, and **nobody** wanted the mental image of Kiba giving one of them a golden shower.

Ino admitted she liked the thought of the partial-expansion jutsu. Choji grinned triumphantly, while the rest of the boys gave an indignant pout and mumbled things like "dumb blonde," and "it's not the size that counts."

Ino reached for the bottle, and gave it a firm twist of her wrist. It slowed and came to a halt in front of Hinata.

"Truth or dare Hinata?"

"Dare."

Ino, remembering Hinata's suffering watching Sakura's dare earlier, decided to do the poor girl a _favour_. She gave the lavender-eyed girl a wide, toothy smile that promised something either really good or really bad – it was anyone's guess which.

"O-k then~" Ino sang in an eerily happy voice. Before continuing, she got up and walked towards a cd player Naruto had on his dresser across from Ino. "I dare you-" Ino dragged out her words, looking through Naruto's cd's, "to give Naruto-" _'please say a kiss, please say a kiss, please say a kiss' _Hinata mentally chanted with every fiber of her being as Ino seemed to find a cd that was to her liking and popped it into the player, "-a lapdance." Ino pushed the play button and 'Use Me' by Hinder began to blast on its speakers.

Hinata's eyes were wide, as were Naruto's. The blue-haired kunoichi would have literally jumped out of her clothes and into her crush's lap that second if it weren't for all the other people around. However, the sake had already lowered her inhibitions pretty well, so Hinata quickly gathered some courage and prepared to perform her dare. _'Time to show that bubblegum hair bitch Naruto-kun is mine.'_ The heiress quickly downed what was left in her cup and stood up.

She put on the most seductive smile she could muster as she walked slowly up to Naruto with a tantalizing sway in her hips. When she made it to the blonde, she grabbed his hand, motioning for him to get up and then leading him to the chair Ino had so helpfully shoved behind him. The heiress stopped in front of the chair. She pressed her hand on the boy's chest, softly pushing him down into the chair, bending down as she did so to give her crush a direct view of her cleavage. After he was in the chair, she stood straight up again, only to squat down quickly. The dancing Hyuuga then began to rise very slowly, her ass in the air as her hands slowly grazed up her smooth, milky legs during her ascent. Naruto found no further need for eyelids, as he was unable to blink his wide eyes, lest he look away from the sight in front of him for even a split second.

The rest of the boys were in shock as well, having never seen this side of Hinata before. They were surprised enough that she would actually go through with the dare, but she looked so _sexy_ doing it to! They all just sat there, wide eyed with gaping mouths. Jiraiya's most perverted smile was plastered up against Naruto's window, his nosebleed streaming down the glass. Even the girls were shocked, but were not staring at her like the boys were.

Hinata continued to twirl and shake around in front of Naruto. With a flip of her hair, she turned to look directly at him as she stepped to where he was seated, giggling to herself at his dumbstruck trance. She lowered herself onto him and began grinding against him erotically. He went stiff as a board – _everywhere_ – much to Hinata's amusement. The lusting girl grabbed the edges of her low cut tank top and pushed her round breasts together, mere inches from Naruto's face. He had seen much of the world on his two year trip, but this was by far the most spectacular sight he had laid eyes on.

The guys by now all had massive nosebleeds except Neji. Neji had a small nosebleed. Jiraiya was scribbling sloppy notes onto a pad without looking, unable to divert his eyes from what was going on on the other side of the window before him. The girls were actually cheering Hinata on with whistles and encouragements. Ino stopped to giggle at the look on Naruto's face. Tenten actually got up and started throwing ryo (Naruto currency) at Hinata.

The lavender eyed temptress caught a few of the bills in her left hand, and brought them up to Naruto's mouth. She placed her free hand on his cheek, rubbing her way down to his chin. She then pushed his still gaping mouth shut on the money. Hinata slowly leaned down to his face. Their lips were barely apart, when she bit down on the money and pulled away, teasing the whiskered teen. She shot her head back with her tip in her mouth, once again leaving her gorgeously plump tits on display right in front of his face as the song ended.

The girls all clapped and whistled. The guys were suddenly mute. Jiraiya looked to his artist's work, giving him a thumb's up to indicate that he would be using the picture he had drawn of the scene for his next novel's cover. The artist gave him a somewhat creepy smile. He wore a tight black outfit exposing his midriff and had a katana sheathed on his back. His skin was nearly as pale as an albino, though his hair was a chestnut brown. He was a sweet kid, about Naruto's age, but very socially awkward. Apparently he was in the ANBU too.

Kiba was the first one to break the awkward silence after the girls' cheering had died out. "Man, how come Naruto keeps getting all the good ones!" Kiba was very disgruntled. Was it too much to ask for someone to give **him** a lapdance, or at least a kiss?

"Quiet boy! Or no treat for you!" Sakura jested. At this everyone broke back into laughter, ending the awkwardness. Naruto and Hinata snapped out of their trance, remembering that there were other people in the room. They got out of the position they had been frozen in and returned to their former spots.

"Hey, I don't need your damn permission to have something to eat!" To make his point, Kiba reached out into one of the bowls of chips scattered across the room along with other snacks, and grabbed a handful. Before he could bite down on it though, it was snatched out of his hand by Neji.

"What he we told you about no people food!" Neji teased the boy with his usual smirk, the dog boy growling through clenched teeth, absolutely seething with fury. His growls were drowned out by the hysterical laughter of the rest of the room though.

After the teenagers managed to remember what they were doing, Hinata took her turn and spun the bottle. Coincidentally enough, it landed on a very nervous Naruto.

"Truth or dare?" Hinata giggled when he began to sweat, presumably out of his still present awkwardness, or possibly… arousal?

"Uh… t-truth?" Naruto said with uncertainty.

Hinata was a bit upset that he had not picked dare, she could have had so much more fun with him. Then she decided to ask him the one question she desperately wanted the answer to. "How was it?" the heiress inquired in her more sultry voice.

"W-w-what?" Naruto stammered, shifting in his spot slightly, which did not go unnoticed by Hinata.

"The dance. How was it?" she repeated. Even Hinata was surprising herself with the amount of courage she was given by the sake in her system. She wasn't drunk, maybe a bit tipsy, but there was still no way in hell she would be able to talk so calmly about such things to her Naruto-kun sober, especially with all their friends around them. With the way Naruto was stuttering and blushing beet red, she believed it was more likely that they had switched bodies without her knowing.

"Oh… it w-was… w-well… I g-guess it was… uh…..hot…" Naruto's voice trailed off in his embarrassment, and the last word was a barely audible squeak. But Hinata heard it, and it was all she needed to hear.

Perhaps there was still some hope for tonight.

* * *

**A/N:** And that's the first part of Naruto's sleepover! Hope you enjoyed reading! Sorry if there are any Kiba fans out there, I don't have anything against the character, the Kiba teasing just sorta happened, it's just where the story led me! But hey, you got some NaruSaku makeout action, a lapdance, some drinking, and even an appearance by Sai! (if you don't know where he showed up, I have failed) What more could you want?

Btw, didn't really know how to go about the lapdance scene. I've never really been to a stripclub or anything, so I sorta just had to let my imagination combine with my knowledge of 80's hair metal music videos to try and think some up. Hope it turned out good. Let me know in the reviews!

**REVIEW, FAV, FOLLOW, OBEY!**


	4. Chapter 3: The Sleepover Part 2

**A/N: Yo! Sorry for the longer than usual wait, sorta procrastinated, and I was having a bit of trouble starting the chapter off. But now here you have it, the epic conclusion to The Sleepover: Part 1 – The Sleepover: Part 2! Watch as the rivalry between Sakura and Hinata rages on, witness the amazing effects of alcohol on the teenage mind, find out why Naruto has always seemed a bit slow, and discover things you probably did not want to know about the kyuubi's sexual preferences! But before I start, I just wanted to respond to a couple of reviewers that could help clarify some things for all of you:**

**Dragonlover753****: I would actually like to thank you. I was having trouble figuring out how to start off the chapter, the only part I really had planned out was the final scene. You mentioning Sakura and Hinata's rivalry actually gave me most of the idea's for the first half of the chapter! **

**Dbtiger63:**** Sorry to say this, but you're probably not going to like this fic too much. I will not be focusing on or really developing a NaruHina relationship. This fic was meant as an upbeat humor focusing on Hinata's attempts to get Naruto, and will resolve with her doing so. I don't really see where there is to go afterwards except New Lemon city, New Lemon (The REAL city that never sleeps ;) ) without completing changing the tone of the fic into something different. I do not feel like just writing a straight up porn fic at this point, and I think it would be awkward to just completely lose consistency in this fic just for the sake of continuing it. I am sorry, but if anyone could help by suggesting a decent idea I could run with for perhaps a sequel with them in a relationship, I might consider it.**

**But for now, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own JACK SHIT (or at least that's what my dad says…)**

"Speech"

'_Thoughts'_

'_**Kyuubi thoughts'**_**/"Kyuubi speech in mindscape"**

* * *

The sleepover continued into the night. After a few more rounds of the game, the shinobi grew bored of their game of truth or dare. The teens dispersed from their circle and began to engage themselves in various other activities. Many of the gang, who by now were being affected by the sake, had the idea of playing some drinking games. Naruto's kitchen table had been set up for beer pong, where Naruto and Sakura were facing off against Shikamaru and Choji. Music enveloped the room from the cd player, and some of the ninjas were dancing along. Lee was lying on the couch unconscious, his face covered in black marker. He had gotten into some of the sake earlier while no one was looking, and it took Shikamaru holding him down with his shadow possession and Ino knocking him out with some Yamanaka technique to save Naruto's apartment from being demolished. Since then, the teens had been taking turns using the spandex-wearing ninja's face as their personal canvas.

After a lengthy conversation, Tenten and Ino split up. Tenten left to grab a confused Neji from the small crowd of people spectating the beer pong game, and dragged him to the clear area the teens were using as a dance floor. Ino watched with a proud smile, as she turned to walk towards one of her other friends, Hinata. She walked to the side of the room where the female Hyuuga was idly shuffling to the music and shooting periodic glances to her crush. Ino noticed the look in her eyes when they fell upon the orange loving shinobi made her seem to be in deep thought. There was a profound mix of longing, fear, curiosity, and a deep and sincere, whole-hearted lo… Ok, **now** she was just shamelessly checking him out. A mischievous grin formed on the Yamanaka's face as she approached the blue haired heiress.

"Hey Hina! What're you doing over here all on your own?" Ino asked, gazing at the Hyuuga curiously.

"Oh, I was just listening to the music." Hinata's response was very unenthusiastic, and her attention seemed to be elsewhere.

"But why all alone? Come on, why don't you go and ask Naruto for a dance?" the Yamanaka nudged her friend's arm, brows raised knowingly.

Hinata snapped back to attention at this. "Oh, I don't know. I am not even sure if he does dance." In all her years of silent stal… follo… spyi… watc… er, _admiring_, completely innocent and normal admiring, she had never seen the blonde jinchuuriki dance. It made sense; why would someone who was never invited to any parties, or even had any possible partner know how to dance?

"Well then, maybe you could just dance **for** him again." Hinata blushed at the memory of her little performance for Naruto less than an hour ago while Ino giggled like a schoolgirl.

"I-I don't think I could do that a-again…" Hinata muttered, her stutter back with a vengeance. In the hormonal depths of Hinata's mind, she honestly did not mind giving Naruto that lap dance. It was completely worth it to see the boy's reaction. However, in the alcohol-fueled heat of the moment, she had completely forgotten about all the people around them. For Naruto-kun, she would gladly do it again, but she really did not want that kind of attention from the other guys. The pupiless kunoichi had noticed a few stray glances the others had given her, and really did not appreciate them. Hinata did not want the whole shinobi population to think she was easy because of her more erotic attempts to attract her love. "Besides, he is busy playing beer pong with Sakura right now." She couldn't stave off her hopeless frown when she mentioned the name of her rival for Naruto's affection. Ino caught the change of mood and a light bulb lit up in her head.

"You know, if you don't make a move soon Sakura's probably going to take him," Ino stated, shrugging her shoulders and letting out a fake sigh that said 'whatever.' Hinata seemed panicked as she shot her head towards Naruto and Sakura, then back to Ino.

"There's no way! I mean, Sakura would never go out with Naruto!" Hinata blurted in her fear. While she believed what she said was true, the Hyuuga's doubt quickly grew as Ino continued talking.

"Maybe not before, but things have changed. You know how Sakura always goes for the pretty boys, remember Sasuke? Who, by the way, has been gone without a trace for years now. And you have to admit, Naruto has been looking _**fine **_since he returned from his training." Ino found her own thoughts wandering onto the handsome blonde as she formed that last sentence. After catching a bit off drool leaving her mouth, she shook her head and refocused. "Anyway, with Sasuke gone, it's only a matter of time til she moves on and sets her eyes on the hottest piece of meat left in the village – Naruto," the mind-walker lied through her teeth. She knew Sakura well enough to know she wouldn't be falling for Naruto anytime in the future; the two were more like siblings to each other. Besides, despite Ino moving on from her childhood crush, Sakura had not had such an easy time and still missed the traitor terribly. But hey, jealousy is a good motivator. "Just look at them, all buddy-buddy and close over there!" The blonde pointed towards the pair.

In her partially inebriated state, Hinata took every word her friend spoke as gospel. Her lavender eyes burned with a mix of determination and fury. _'I will not lose to that shallow bitch! She had her chance, now it is my turn to take Naruto-kun away from her for good!' _Without another word, she cut through the room, her confidence returning tenfold. The only hitch was she had absolutely no idea what to say or do. All she could do was to wait for an opening to get closer to Naruto.

The beer pong game was still raging as Hinata approached. The members of the gang that were watching were really getting into it. Choji and Shikamaru's team were down to only three cups, while Naruto and Sakura's still had six. The spectators held their breaths as Sakura set up another shot. When the ball bounced off the rim of one of the cups, the reactions varied from disappointed 'aaawwws' to relieved sighs. Choji picked up the ball and shakily raised his arm to line up his shot. Obviously he had had his share to drink. Despite this, after he released the ball, it flew in a perfect arc and landed directly into one of the cups on the opposite side of the table.

The people that were rooting for the Shika-Cho duo let out an excited cheer. Naruto pouted, and picked up his cup. Removing the ping pong ball, he let out a defeated sigh and moved the drink towards his lips. Before it could reach them, however, a green blur flashed by Naruto, spinning him around comically and knocking the cup out of his hand. As he slowed to a stop and struggled to maintain his balance, he watched said green blur promptly rush out of the window. Everyone's eyes darted to the empty couch which once held Lee.

"Shit, this isn't good," Naruto groaned, as he exasperatedly formed his favourite seal. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto called out, as a poof of smoke appeared, revealing one of Naruto's shadow clones. "Alright, just go get Guy, he's probably the only one who's gonna be able to stop him now." The clone nodded in agreement and headed out through the same window. "Alright, let's just leave him to my clone and continue with the game!" Naruto loudly proclaimed with a new enthusiasm, giving a thumbs up and a bright smile. However, no one seemed to be paying much attention. The loud teen sweat dropped at being ignored. Suddenly he tensed up from the sensation of a powerful killing intent right behind him. He turned slowly and fearfully to meet the source – a fuming Sakura, whose chest was drenched in the contents of Naruto's cup of sake.

The medic-nin glared daggers at the now trembling blonde, as the fists she held at her sides shook with barely-contained rage. "NARUTO YOU BAKA! LOOK WHAT YOU DID!" she screamed furiously.

Naruto raised his hands in front of his face defensively, staggering back slightly. "It wasn't my fault! It was an accident! Lee knocked it out of my hand, I didn't mean to! Gomen! Gomen!" Naruto grovelled, wishing he had went after Lee himself and left the clone to deal with his infuriated teammate.

"SURE IT WAS! WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST PUT THE DRINK DOWN, OR AT LEAST _TRY_ TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!"

"I didn't know he was up! I thought Ino's jutsu would have knocked him out for longer!"

"THIS IS **YOUR** APARTMENT, YOU SHOULD BE PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT GOES ON INSIDE IT! YOU KNEW FULL WELL WHAT WAS GOING ON WHEN YOU '_DROPPED'_ YOUR DRINK! PERVERT!" Sakura gave Naruto abone-crushing thwap to the head, to which he could only yelp in pain. She turned around, and said a bit more calmly, "I am going to go to the bathroom and try to dry off my shirt," before she stomped towards the bathroom door.

'_That bitch, who does she think she is, hitting Naruto-kun like that! It was not even his fault!'_ Hinata inwardly seethed, but maintained a calm exterior. While she was contemplating going to the bathroom to *_help*_ Sakura, she realized that this was her chance! With Sakura gone, there was a vacancy on Naruto's beer pong team. It was not a huge step, but it would let her get a bit closer to Naruto, even if just for a little while. The heiress willed herself forward with her jealousy and alcohol fueled courage, and stood beside Naruto. "Naruto, if you would like, I could fill in for Sakura while she is gone," Hinata offered in the sweetest tone she could muster, glad that she had not stuttered or fainted or shown any of her old nervous habits. However, she was worried when she was still met with the same amount of attention as she got when she was her old shy self.

Naruto had not said a single word in response. He was not even facing the girl talking to him for that matter. Instead, Hinata noticed his partially glazed-over eyes still following the pink-haired kunoichi on her way to the bathroom. His attentive gaze was unfaltering, laced with heat and lust. The Hyuuga could not accept this. It saddened her and pissed her off to no end. He stared at Sakura as if her top were just going to rip apart like a soggy piece of paper. He stared at her as if she was the only one in the apartment. Hinata would kill for that look.

'_I'm not gonna lose to that bubblegum haired bitch!'_ Hinata thought as she walked around to the other side of her love. Before she could face the whiskered teen again, she *_accidentally* slipped _in the wet spot from his spilt drink. She attempted to grab the table for support, but *_accidentally*_ just knocked the remaining cups on Naruto's side down onto herself.

"Oi Hinata, are you ok?" Naruto asked worried after breaking out of his trance. He offered a hand which Hinata graciously accepted. As the lavender-eyed girl got back to her feet, Naruto's eyes widened at her predicament. Much like Sakura, her entire torso was soaked. The wet tank top clung to her body, accentuating her now glistening mounds. The blonde teen could not help but freeze on the spot, just watching the hypnotizing lumps rise and fall with the kunoichi's breaths. It didn't take long until more of the guys noticed, just as entranced as Naruto.

Kiba let out a loud whistle, breaking the silence. "Wooo! Wet t-shirt contest!" Ino gave him a good hit on the head for that perverted remark.

"Do we have to put a muzzle on you!" she yelled at the dog user, who merely growled lowly in response. This commotion was enough to bring Naruto back to reality.

"Uh… You might wanna dry off your shirt too, Hinata." Naruto awkwardly rubbed the back of his head with one arm trying to separate his gaze from Hinata's assets, but his eyes keep drifting back of their own accord.

"Oh!" Hinata said in faked shock and embarrassment, bringing her feminine hands to her top. "Oh well, I am sure it will air dry. Besides, I was hoping I could play for Sakura while she was busy cleaning herself off," Hinata innocently stated, basking in the attention she was receiving from her crush, completely forgetting about the roomful of other staring boys.

Naruto shook his head in an attempt to make eye contact as he spoke back. "Uh… Yeah, sure, why not," he stammered. The heiress let out a small giggle.

The two continued the game. The only one who was able to concentrate enough to actually hit any cups was Hinata, as the others all seemed very distracted. Each time she did, she made sure to celebrate with a few excited hops and a giddy squeal. Hinata noticed as Naruto's eyes moved up and down in sync with her, much to her amusement.

The blonde knucklehead was quite distracting himself too though, or at least for Hinata. She couldn't help but notice the muscles underneath his jacket as he bent his arm for his shots, wanting nothing more than to feel how strong and hard they were in her hands. From this close, she could practically feel his hot breath as she seemed to drown in those deep blue pools that kept shyly settling back onto her.

Hinata wanted him. And with every drink she took that night, another emotion was wiped from her brain until her entire mind would become assimilated to this desire. But her sense of decency and shame still remained. She wouldn't make any sort of move of an… _indecent_ nature in an apartment filled with her friends. But she had to do _something_! That was the reason she had mustered up so much willpower! The only thing she needed was an actual game plan.

However, before Hinata could think of anything to say or do, her eternal rival, Sakura Haruno, stepped back into the room, in a very skimpy set of pink pyjamas. She could not believe the nerve of the girl to be parading around in such a thing, before remembering her chosen nightwear's… _translucency_. _'At least I thought me and Naruto-kun were going to be _alone_ when I packed my clothes… slut…'_

"Hey guys, my shirt wasn't drying off," Sakura began, shooting a quick but piercing glare at Naruto, "so I decided to just change into my pyjamas early." Sakura shrugged. The medic took back her place to finish the game in progress. Hinata reluctantly backed away, wishing Sakura had taken more time – or perhaps just left. Yes, her leaving would be quite nice.

The blue-haired Hyuuga walked back towards Ino with her head low in defeat. Ino immediately threw her arm around her shoulder and smiled. "Nice move Hinata!" Ino giggled quietly. "He's definitely noticed you, hell, he could barely take his eyes off you!" The Yamanaka's expression quickly morphed into a questioning stare. "Why didn't you try anything? You were right there with him, what were you waiting for!"

Hinata meekly replied, "I didn't know what to do. I could not think of anything."

Her friend noticed the heiress's downtrodden look and adopted a more supportive tone. "Don't worry so much, just do what feels natural! Why don't you just tell the lughead you like him and ask him out?"

Hinata's face drooped even further. "I have tried to, but I still cannot tell him how I feel. It feels as if all my old fears and insecurities just concentrated themselves into my fear of him rejecting my feelings. The thought of confessing to him is the one thing left that makes me feel like my old shy and scared self," she responded glumly to her loud friend. Ino merely gave a smirk that made Hinata very nervous.

"Well then, if you can't _tell_ him how you feel, why not just _show_ him, eh?" the ponytailed blonde proposed, moving her eyebrows suggestively.

Hinata caught her drift, immediately sporting a thick blush and wide eyes. "Nani!? I-I could never do…._**That**_with everyone here! What if s-someone saw us! Neji nii-san is here! What would he do if he f-found out!"

"Don't worry so much Hinata." Ino merely waved off Hinata's worries. "Between the loud music, all the other people and the sake, these drunk bakas wouldn't even notice the two of you disappear for a quick _naked lap dance_." Ino winked slyly. "Besides, are you just going to wait until billboard-brow does?" Hinata urgently turned her head to the aforementioned kunoichi. Ino grinned victoriously; she had her now. "I mean, look at what she's wearing! She's **obviously** trying to seduce him."

To the half-drunk teen, this made more sense than gravity. She would definitely **not** let Sakura have her Naruto-kun! Her resolve was only hindered by her fear of being caught in the act, and what Neji might do to Naruto if he found out. She had a feeling there would be no encore performance if that happened…

"I don't know; it is still really risky. Maybe I could try another night…"

"NO! If you say that now, you're always gonna use that same excuse; you have to actually take action for once!" Ino's gaze drifted past the flustered girl in front of her for a second. After a couple seconds, she looked back at her with a pleased glint in her eye. "Besides, Tenten took my advice, and I don't think **she** regrets it." Her eyes drifted again, and this time Hinata followed them.

Her eyes fell upon a partially open bathroom door, from which Tenten's head popped out and then quickly retreated. What Hinata saw next shocked her like a thousand chidoris. A mere second after, the weapon specialist fully exited the bathroom, with her cousin Neji Hyuuga in tow! _'Could she be saying that… they… no, no way!'_ She truly could not believe it. Upon closer inspection of the two, it was easy to notice the sheen of sweat coating their bodies, and their satisfied yet exhausted expressions. Not to mention Tenten's hair was sloppily sticking out of her buns and Neji's low ponytail was completely undone.

What Hinata found even more surprising than the fact that her stick-in-the-mud cousin had gotten laid was the fact that Ino was right – no one, not even she, had noticed the two enter the bathroom together or heard a single sound of what went on inside of it.

"I guess… it could work…" Hinata muttered, still a little unsure.

"Of course it will! Aside from the fact that the rest of the guys are over, it's the perfect opportunity! You're in his apartment, sleeping the night, and he's gonna be way too plastered to possibly resist!"

That's when Hinata realized the real flaw in this plan. "But I could never take advantage of Naruto-kun like that! It just wouldn't b-"

"Advantage?! What advantage?! You'll be just as hammered as he is!" Again, this almost made **too much** sense to the half-drunk Hyuuga. She had been keeping up with his pace of drinking throughout the night, enjoying both the feeling of rebellion she was not accustomed too and the extra courage the sake gave her. "Besides, I saw you eyeing him just as much as he was you, if not more. I **know** you want to." Again, all valid points. Just thinking of the things she wanted to do to him sent a pleasurable shiver down her spine. Once the flame of her fantasies was lit, there was no distinguishing it except with _relief_. And she didn't want it to come from her own hand this time. Hinata **had** to do this. She **would** do this. She would do **him**.

But first, she would have a little bit more liquid courage while she waited for the right opportunity.

* * *

The sleepover continued in the same manner for the next couple of hours. The teenage shinobi continued their drinking, dancing, and of course a few fell victim to the hidden leaf's number one prankster. The look on Kiba's face every time he would reach for his cup of sake and end up grabbing a dog dish was priceless. By now things were cooling down. Ino and Sakura were braiding each other's hair, while Choji and Naruto were settling once and for all who can eat more ramen. The rest of the gang were either enjoying the remainder of the nights sake, chatting, listening to music, or watching Choji and Naruto's duel with a gaping mouth and a queasy stomach. Except for Shikamaru of course, who had decided to hit the hay early, and now lied in his sleeping bag in Naruto's living room.

After opening the fridge to find that it had been depleted of cup ramen, Naruto and Choji had to call their challenge a draw. Naruto let out a mighty yawn and burp combo, something previously unheard of by the shinobi, and expressed his fatigue. A lot of the others agreed that they too were tired, and maybe it was time to call it a night. A few of them were still filled with a little drunken energy and were bugging the others to stay up a little longer. Naruto payed them no mind, and announced he was going to his room to retrieve and change into his sleepwear.

_Ding_

If Hinata had had any more to drink, she may have missed it. It was her chance. It may be her last chance that night too. She would not miss it.

With speed that could rival the late fourth hokage's Hinata bolted to her bag, grabbed it tightly, and dashed to the bathroom before anyone could even see a blur. Once inside, she opened the bag and reached for her sheer nightgown. As she changed, dirty thoughts went racing through her lustful mind.

'_Ok, stay calm, just stay calm… OH MY GOSH! I can't believe I'm doing this! This is going to happen, I will not back down now! Just need to get changed, then head over to his room and… I hope he likes how I look in this….. I hope he likes how I look _**without**_ this too, heehee… I wonder what __**he **__will look like naked… Well, without being photo-negative with those goddamn blue streams running through him. Crappy byakugan vision… Ooooooo, I wonder what he'll do to me! Oh Kami, I think I drank a bit too much, I might just jump him as soon as I get in the room… He's had quite a bit of sake as well, what if __**he **__jumps __**me**__! Throws me to the bed, and just ravishes me! Oh, please Kami!'_ Hinata whispered a very quiet, very inappropriate prayer to whatever deity would listen. With the revealing chemise on, Hinata turned to take a quick look in the mirror. Before she exited the bathroom, one final thought rang in her mind. _'Oh yeah. __**Definitely **__hotter than hubba-bubba head.'_

Hinata opened the door cautiously, then practically flew the very short distance from Naruto's bathroom to his room, clutching her bag to her chest to avoid being seen in the lewd nightgown.

* * *

As Naruto rummaged through the messy heap of clothing in his closet for a pair of pyjamas, only one thought was going through his mind.

'_Man, does the kyuubi's healing ability need to filter _every_ toxin outta my body? I couldn't even enjoy the sake I got, I'm not even freakin' buzzed!'_

'_**Trust me kit, it's overrated. You already manage to make an ass out of yourself so well sober, plus you would just feel like shit in the morning. Besides, you are **_**really**_** gonna want to remember tonight, kit.'**_The kyuubi chuckled lowly, very uncharacteristic for him.

'_Huh? Why do you say that?'_ Naruto asked his tenant warily.

'_**Oh, you'll find out soon kit.' **_The nine tailed demon let out an even longer, louder chuckle. It seemed very amused by Naruto's cluelessness and it irked his container to no end. Naruto decided to just ignore him for now; he knew he was not going to get an answer out of him.

The blonde jinchuuriki was so preoccupied with his conversation with the kyuubi that he missed the soft sound of his bedroom door opening. Through the open door stepped a very anxious Hinata, whose gaze was met by the back of her fully-clothed crush. _'Yay, looks like I didn't miss the show!' _the intoxicated heiress observed, wearing a perverted grin reminiscent of the legendary toad sennin's. Hinata silently set down her bag and shut the door.

Or at least the drunk Hyuuga **thought** she was silent, though apparently the blonde heard her and immediately turned around.

"Hinata, what're you doing in here?" As Naruto looked to the blue-haired girl, his eyes bugged out when he realized what she was wearing. The lavender nightgown left very little to the imagination, and he could see her underwear very clearly through the material. Hinata was planning on going without it, but figured it would take too long for her to fumble around with her bra clasp in her inebriated state, and she did not trust her hand anywhere near her womanhood with the thoughts going through her mind while she was changing. Hey, at least they matched.

"I want you," the heiress bluntly slurred out, uninhibited thanks to the alcohol in her system.

"What did you want me for?" Naruto questioned, attempting to keep eye contact.

The heiress began approaching the clueless teen with clumsy, staggered steps which were intended to be seductive and alluring. "No. I _want_ **you**," Hinata restated slowly, her tone becoming hungry.

"Hinata, are you ok? What're you do-" Naruto was silenced by a finger to his lips and a shush from Hinata. The heiress placed a small hand onto the jinchuuriki's chest, and gently pushed him down onto his bed, letting herself fall on top of him. Naruto's body no longer put up any fight and his mind was blank, now knowing what was happening. He was only brought back by the smell of sake on his seductress's breath. _'Of course. That's why…'_

"Hinata, please stop, we shouldn't being doing this. You're drunk, this isn't r-" He was once again silenced by the same finger on his lips and a quiet shushing sound. Hinata removed her finger and began moving her head in, her body desperately yearning to claim his lips with her own.

* * *

**Inside Naruto's Mindscape**

"**Stop fighting it kit, just let it happen. Trust me, you'll enjoy it," **the kyuubi coaxed his host.

"No, I can't! Can't you see she's drunk you stupid fox! This isn't right, I can't take advantage of Hinata like that, she'd hate me."

The kyuubi let out a frustrated sigh, mumbling something along the lines of **'stupid brat.'** **"You know, if you're gay you can just admit it, kit. I won't judge you."**

"HEY! I am **not** gay!"

"**Don't get so defensive, you know I can't tell anyone anyway. Besides, what straight man would throw away such a hot piece of ass on top of him, practically begging for it?"**

"I am **not **gay! I just don't want to take advantage of my friends like that!"

"_**Sure**_**, that's why your first kiss **_**wasn't**_** with Sasuke." **The nine tails' voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Naruto was becoming more angry and frustrated by the second. "THAT WAS AN ACCIDENT!"

"_**Sure**_**, that's why you **_**didn't**_** slip any tongue into the kiss."**

"I DID NOT!"

"**Yeah, just like you **_**didn't **_**check out his dick when he took a leak the time you two had your hands stuck together by that jutsu."**

"I DID NOT! I was just… comparing…" Naruto's rage gave way to embarrassment for a second as he looked away and his voice drifted off near the end of his last sentence.

The kyuubi was inwardly laughing his ass off, and had to fight back a grin. The kid just made it too fun to mess with him. **"Whatever, if you're not gonna do anything, I might as well enjoy the view." **The giant fox turned his head around, and the room was filled with loud licking and grunting noises.

"Hey! What're you doing!?"

The kyuubi turned back. **"Well, your leg is too small to hump kit, so this is pretty much the only way I can get myself off in here."** The fox once again turned around to resume his actions, attempting to ignore his jailor.

"WHAT!? Stop doing that! Are you listening to me!? Stop doing that; that's disgusting! The fuck!"

The demon let out an annoyed growl and turned again. **"Can you shut up kit? You have a REALLY annoying voice. Could you give me a minute, I was almost there."**

"YOU ARE NOT GOING TO JIZZ INSIDE ME! ! !" the blonde screamed.

"**What, you want me to pull out?"**

"Oh, ha-ha, you disgusting fox! You're inside my goddamn mind, I don't want you doing that kind of stuff in here!"

"**I don't see what the big deal is kit, you never have a problem when I shit or something in here."**

"Well that's diff – NANI!?" The kyuubi merely point a clawed finger to the corner of his cage, the floor of which was covered in the fox's excrement. "WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU SHITTING IN THE CORNER OF THE CAGE!"

"**Well duh, everyone knows you're supposed to shit in the corner; if I just did it everywhere I would have to walk around in it shithead." **The nine tails could not help but snicker at the name.

Naruto was fuming, growling through clenched teeth. "You know what I mean! Why are you shitting inside of me!"

"**Because that's how the body works: you eat, you shit. And you know I can't just leave to do my business," **the fox stated matter-of-factly.

"Hey, don't get smart wi – WAIT, WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN EATING?! YOU'RE INSIDE MY HEAD!"

"**What do you think?" **

"I don't know, there's nothing in here except my mind!"

"**Exactly."**

"…" Naruto just stared with an angry and expectant look, waiting for the fox to clarify.

The only thing the kyuubi did was let out a big sigh. **"Sometimes, kit, you make me think I eat too much. Now if you'll excuse me, a little bit of privacy would be nice."**

"I told you you're **not **doing that in there! Why are even doing this; you're a goddamn fox! Why would you find a human attractive?!"

"**What are you, a nun? The whole interspecies thing is totally HOT. Come on, like you've never thought of hooking up with a sexy little vixen."**

"EW! No way would I ever even **think** of doing anything with a freakin' fox!" Naruto cringed at just the thought.

"**Oh come on, even a prude like you couldn't pass up some of the hot tail I've seen in my days while I was free. You should have seen the last vixen I mated with before I was trapped in you. That shiny red coat, a slender tail that seemed to go on for days, and that ass… Here, why don't I show you." **Before he could protest, the jinchuuriki's mind was scarred on every possible level as he was bombarded with images of the nine tails' mating repeatedly, with various seemingly unconsenting vixens…

* * *

**Back In the Outside World **

Seemingly no time had passed during Naruto's inner conversation with the kyuubi, and Hinata was still going in for the kill. Her mouth was inches away from his as Naruto received the most unpleasant of mental images being forced upon him. The whiskered teen became exceedingly nauseous, and simply could not stomach it. Seconds before the two teens' lips could connect, Naruto vomited all over his admirer.

Puke is definitely a mood killer.

When Hinata realized what she was covered in, she too reflexively emptied her stomach of the night's sake onto her crush. Naruto tried to cover his face, but could not keep it completely clean with the girl so close to it.

"Oh my kami Hinata I'm so sorry!" the blonde apologised in a panic. "Just wait here; I'll get something to clean you off with!" Naruto then dashed out of the room, only to return ten seconds later with his hands full of towels. However, when he got back, he found Hinata had already passed out on his bed. The spiky-haired teen sighed. _'Well, that's probably for the best.'_

Naruto proceeded to wipe the puke off them both, and allowed Hinata to stay sleeping in his bed for the night. Naruto went to the bag Hinata had dropped by the door, and borrowed her sleeping bag for the night.

It was going to be an interesting morning.

* * *

**A/N: And that's a wrap! Hope you enjoyed, hope you got some laughs, and I hope you FOLLOW/FAVE/REVIEW! I did my best, and hopefully the next chapter doesn't take as long as this one did. Find out what happens the next morning, and just how far Hinata will go to get her love in the next chapter!**

**Also, I've been getting idea's for a couple of other oneshots. One is for a sappy, heartwarming one about how Naruto started his addiction to Ichiraku's Ramen, and another one is for another funny one, except about Sasuke returning to the leaf. Let me know which you would rather see first, or if you think they are both stupid ideas, in the REVIEWS! I don't plan on making them right at this moment, but if you ever notice me taking longer to write the next chapter of this fic, that may be why, so check if I've uploaded one.**

**P.S. If anyone knows how to double up on puctaution (eg: end a sentence with muliple exclamation marks for emphasis) PLEASE tell me in the reviews or pm me, it would be really appreciated. It is getting REALLY annoying that every time I try to do this it always erases it once its uploaded, I've even attempted editing it in afterward in the doc manager, but it STILL reverts back. Ugh!**

**PEACE!**


	5. Chapter 4: Icha Icha Birthday

**A/N: Yo! I'm back, with the newest edition of Take A Hint: Icha Icha Birthday! Had fun writing it, hopefully you guys have fun reading it! Feel free to give me feedback, constructive critism, ideas, or just tell me your favourite parts in the REVIEWS! Shamelessly self-promote, post your suicide note, ask me out, write out a recipe for a delicious quiche, any and all reviews are welcome!**

**Just a note: Second half takes place after the whole 'Gaara Rescue Mission' or whatever you wanna call it. Just assume that happens in between, during the period when they are busy with missions. Just REALLY wanted to give Sai ONE (mental) line in one scene, totally worth it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not claim copyright on Naruto or any of its characters; that is my nindo, my ninja way!**

"Speech"

'_thoughts'_

'_**kyuubi thoughts'**_**/"kyuubi speech in mindscape"**

Book Title

* * *

"….Uuuuuuugggghhhhhhh….."

Hinata's hoarse voice joined the chorus of hungover shinobi awakening inside Naruto's apartment. The sleepover last night had taken a lot out of all of them, between the drinking, dancing, and restraining Lee. Most of the night was just a blur for most of the shinobi, and it showed in the surprise and confusion many of them shared after discovering their sleeping arrangements. Some of the gang managed to make it to their sleeping bags before their drowsiness overtook them, however many others had succumbed to their tiredness in some more… _interesting_ positions.

For example, Shikamaru woke up with his head in a puke-filled toilet, while Choji discovered that his pillow was in fact a half-eaten pizza. Neji was taken by surprise when he opened his eyes to be greeted by the sleeping face of Tenten, however quickly adjusted and rested in their shared sleeping bag for a while longer. Kiba had somehow ended up in a dog cage – Naruto didn't even have a dog, where did this even come from! Oh, the dog breeder was going to get the others back for this. He was so angry that he did not even notice that his hitae-ate was missing, and had been replaced with a dog collar bearing a tag with the village symbol etched onto it. Not to mention Lee, who was extremely shocked to find himself in Guy's room, awkwardly spooning his sensei. As the green beast's clone looked around, he could not help but note how… _youthful _the décor was. The bed was shaped like a racecar, his bookshelves and nightstand littered with old action figures and decks upon decks of Pokemon cards, and multiple rc cars covered the floor. This man had some serious issues.

However, the shock any of the others' experience paled in comparison to Hinata's as she woke up in the unfamiliar setting. As she fluttered her sensitive eyes open, squinting them to withstand the onslaught of the morning sun, she realized she was not in her room. This did not scare her much, as she quickly remembered that she had gone to a sleepover at her crush's apartment. What **did** confuse her was why she felt as if she were sleeping in an actual bed, rather than the sleeping bag she had packed for the night. She bolted upright at this realization and took in her surroundings. _'This must be Naruto-kun's bedroom. But then that means I'm in… Naruto-kun's bed!'_ Hinata's throbbing head swelled with thoughts and emotions, from fear to curiosity, to confusion, to anxiousness, and everything inbetween. As the heiress pondered her situation, disjointed pieces of last night's events came back to her. The lapdance, the sake, her cousin getting laid…. _'ew'_ …. She could recollect talking to Ino about something, something she was going to do…. _'OH MY KAMI'_ Hinata thought. Did she do what she thought she did? She looked to both sides of the bed, but to her slight relief (but mostly disappointment) it was empty except for herself.

As the blue-haired kunoichi released a let-down sigh, she heard a loud yawn coming from beside the bed. Hinata leaned over the edge of the bed to see her love waking up in a sleeping bag beside his own bed. As his eyelids revealed his hypnotizing blue orbs, he looked straight up at her and gave her a heartwarming smile. "Morning Hinata" the blonde cheerily said.

"Ano, morning, Naruto-kun…" Hinata paused awkwardly, not sure what to say, but soon her curiosity took over. "Um… Why are you in my sleeping bag, and why am I in your bed?"

The whiskered teen gave his classic sheepish smile while a hand rubbed the back of his head. _'I guess she doesn't remember what happened.'_ Naruto thought for a while about how to proceed. He decided it was probably best if he excluded last night's intoxicated mishap in order to spare any awkwardness. Naruto did not want Hinata feeling embarrassed over some drunken mistake, or worse, hating him for thinking he had tried to take advantage of her last night. "Well, you sorta passed out on my bed, and I didn't wanna wake you, so I just borrowed your sleeping bag. I hope you don't mind," the jinchuuriki explained, omitting the events leading up to the Hyuuga's blackout.

Hinata told him it was ok, and apologized for taking his bed, despite the Uzumaki's claims that he really did not mind. Still, Hinata could not help but feel down, afraid she had made a fool of herself during the sleepover.

After getting dressed, the sleep-deprived ninjas gradually made their way out of the apartment, many saying that they should do this again. The group split up to head to their own homes and prepare for the day's training.

* * *

Most of the Jonin sensei's were forced to call off training early due to the condition of their worn out students. This came as a huge relief to most of the teens, especially Hinata and Kiba, who both wanted to avoid the awkward conversation with their other teammate who was sulking over being left out yet again. The only exception was Rock Lee, who was currently being punished for his 'unyouthful actions' by Gai. Ironically enough, his punishment was just a lengthened version of his usual training routine.

Some of the teens went home to rest, while others went to grab lunch. Hinata simply wandered around the village, focused on last night's events. Her memories had been slowly returning to her throughout the day. The lavender-eyed girl could now remember how she had ended up in her secret crush's bed. Thinking back on it, it saddened her greatly how the night had ended. It seemed as though Naruto did not remember what had happened. Not that it mattered, her dream boy thought that she had just made her move on him because she was under the influence of the sake. He obviously had no idea how she truly felt for him. How much she had truly wanted it.

The female Hyuuga thought about it the entire walk. She remembered the unjustified jealousy she had felt, the embarrassment at how far she had gone, the gross moment when they had vomited on each other, but most of all she remembered the feeling. The feeling of being all alone with her fantasy standing in front of her, the feeling of being so close to him, the feeling of his strong body under her, of their lips as they were about to meet… She wanted that feeling again. She would do anything to feel that again. He was like a drug, and she wanted so much more.

While aimlessly navigating the village, Hinata's feet began walking a familiar route, which led her right by the ramen stand Naruto loved so much. Unsurprisingly enough, the orange clad shinobi was sitting in his usual seat, inhaling a bowl of ramen, when he noticed Hinata walking by in the corner of his eye.

"Hey Hinata!" he exclaimed, waving to the heiress. Hinata couldn't help but smile and waved back. The blonde gestured for her to take a seat beside him, which she happily complied to. "So you guys got the day off too! You hungry?" Naruto asked her.

"Ano, yes," the byakugan user lied. Hinata had already eaten her lunch after running into Ino and Tenten, during which she was grilled for details about her attempted seduction, given a few too many about her cousin and Tenten's _experience_, and given some advice on how to 'get through Naruto's dense skull.'

"Oi, Teuchi! Bring another bowl of miso for my friend here!" Naruto shouted to the chef. "It's on me this time." He gave her one of those wide smiles that usually made her heart throb, but Hinata could only think of one thing at the moment.

"Why are you paying for me, Naruto-kun? I am just fine paying my own bill, you really don't have to."

"Oh, you know, uh… just trying to be more generous, ya know? Don't worry about it, my treat," Naruto nervously responded, ending with a sheepish chuckle. In truth, he had wanted to make up for puking on her the previous night, but was still convinced she did not remember, and didn't want to make things awkward between them if she found out exactly what happened.

Hinata graciously accepted the offer in the end, and the two enjoyed some ramen and conversed. They spoke about the sleepover, Hinata expressing how much she had enjoyed it. However, they both avoided the bringing up what Hinata had tried to do with Naruto, both thinking the other did not remember and wanting to avoid making the conversation uncomfortable. After finishing his fifth bowl of ramen, the full knucklehead turned to Hinata.

"You know, most of the other guys are just staying in today, so there's not many people to hang out with. If you're not busy or anything, did you wanna go do somethin'?"

The pale kunoichi froze. As hopeful as she was though, she could tell her crush did not mean for this invitation to sound like a date. Still, she was flattered to be asked to keep him company, and would definitely not turn this offer down. "Sure, that sounds good."

"Awesome! There anyplace you'd like to go? I've been really bored since they called off training and can't think of anything else to do."

Hinata thought back to Ino's advice earlier that day. She had tried to give Hinata ideas on ways to try to get Naruto more interested in her, and one specific scenario came to mind immediately. A sly grin appeared on her face. "Well, I have been wanting to get some more clothes, and I could really use someone else's opinion." She looked on hopefully to her love.

"Uh, well… As much as I would like to help you shop, I don't really know much about women's clothing. Hell, most people say I have a shitty fashion sense in general. For some reason no one sees how cool orange is!" Hinata could not help but giggle at this. It was then that she decided to pull out another tip from Ino and try flirting with him.

"Really? I think your outfit looks cute," Hinata said in a slightly sultry manner. She raised her hand to graze his shirt down his chest, his face glowing hot pink thinking about how she had been touching him the same way the previous night. "Please come with me?" Hinata put on her cutest pout and saddest puppy-dog eyes. Naruto simply could not refuse.

"Oh, alright, just make sure to keep the receipts in case everyone hates what I pick out!" Naruto joked, earning another giggle from his admirer. Naruto paid for their meals and the two left in the direction of the shopping district.

* * *

The two were walking down the crowded streets of the shopping district, making their way past countless villagers and shinobi alike. The pair was engaged in some light conversation, managing to push aside any uncomfortable feelings caused by the sleepover. Naruto was currently doing his best impression of the time Jiraiya drank too much sake and accidentally made out with a rather feminine man. Hinata was cracking up at this, when she noticed a shop that caught her eye. It was one of Ino's favourite clothing stores, so the heiress new it would have some clothes that would help her catch her crush's eye.

Without a second thought Hinata grabbed Naruto by the arm, savouring the contact, and pulled him hastily into the store.

"Woah, Hinata, what's the rush?" Naruto asked, not this expecting this from the normally reserved girl.

Hinata sheepishly responded, "Oh, sorry. Hehe, guess I'm just excited." _'And hopefully you will be too by the end of this hehe…'_ Naruto just shook his head, not aware Hinata was so into shopping. _'What am I getting myself into…' _he thought. The lavender-eyed kunoichi led him to the women's section, searching through rack after rack of clothes. Every once in a while, Hinata would pick an outfit off the rack and hand it to Naruto, who would simply follow her carrying what she handed him, not knowing what else to do. After Naruto had accumulated a sizeable stack of clothes, Hinata brought him to the changing room area.

She thanked her crush for holding her clothes before grabbing them and heading towards the first vacant change room. "Just wait there, I'll be out in a secnd," she said with a bright smile before closing the door, leaving Naruto by himself.

He did not have to wait long, however, as a minute later the change room door reopened and Hinata stepped back out. "How does it look?" she asked curiously, gauging the blonde's reaction.

Naruto could not tear his eyes away from the sight that greeted them. He looked Hinata up and down in awe. She wore a pair of tight black yoga pants, paired with a sleeveless lavender crop top, which stretched out against the pressure of the heiress' engorged mounds, and was ripped in the back to reveal even more skin and her bra straps.

"It looks… uh… g-great," Naruto stammered, giving a weak thumbs up, not managing to meet Hinata's eyes.

"Are you sure the pants don't make my butt look big?" The pupiless kunoichi turned around and bent over slightly, displaying the body part in question.

For a minute Naruto was speechless. The way the yoga pants hugged her every curve gave the impression it was a second skin, as if her round ass was bare in front of him. He was unable to give a response, as all his willpower was focused on resisting the urge to slap Hinata's rear with vigor.

Hinata was confused and disappointed when she received no answer, until she turned around to see her crush, holding a hand up to his nose to stave off a waterfall of blood and violently shaking his head 'no.' Hinata grew a satisfied grin. _'Definitely buying these' _she mentally decided.

Hinata returned to the change room to get dressed in her next outfit. As she returned to Naruto in various revealing garments, she proceeded in much the same way, questioning and teasing the whiskered teen, paying close attention to his reactions to decipher which outfits he liked best. This proved to be quite difficult though, as the loud and obnoxious boy went all but mute each time she stepped out of the change room. Finally, after several changes, Hinata was down to the pièce de résistance.

"What do you think of this, Naruto-kun?" Hinata called to her crush. When Naruto looked up, he was not expecting the sight that he beheld. In front of him was the former shyest shinobi in konoha, the one who never left her house without the baggiest possible winter coat, in the smallest bikini he had ever seen. There was just enough material to be able to tell it was his favourite color, orange. The top did not even cover the underside of her oversized breasts! Nearly all of her creamy skin was on display, while the beautiful teen casually stood there with only a small tinge of her trademark blush colouring her cheeks. Only one thought went through Naruto's mind. _'I didn't know the leaf village had a beach.' _This was all he had he had the necessary brain power left to think. The rest of his cranial capacity was currently dedicating to preserving the image before him into his permanent memory.

Hinata was very pleased by the reaction she received from her temporary fashion consultant. He did not give a single word in response. Instead Naruto's face burned a darker shade of red than Hinata could ever produce, so dark that the blood that flowed out of his nose like water from a showerhead was not visible until it left his chin. His eyes were wide and unmoving, and Hinata caught the blonde shifting his legs in a subtle attempt to hide the growing bulge inbetween them. That last part **really **pleased her, and with any luck would continue pleasing her later that night.

Hinata turned back and entered the change room for the final time, knowing her crush was not going to be able to give any input anyway. When the door closed between them, blocking them from each other's sight, Hinata wanted nothing more than to activate her doujutsu and get a better view of the growing _reaction_ Naruto was trying to hide. Before she did though, an idea struck. The thought of what she was going to do elicited a mischievous grin from the heiress. She undid her bikini strap, but held the front to prevent it from dropping… yet.

"Oh, Naruto, can you help me? I think the door is stuck!" Hinata lied, feigning worry as best she could.

"Don't worry, I'll try to find someone who works here. Maybe they'll know what t-"

"N-no!" Hinata panicked, obviously this idea was not thought through at all. "I… ano… b-but I am claustrophobic! I need to get out now, please h-hurry and get me out now!" Hinata blurted out, mentally berating herself for acting on such a half-baked idea. Hopefully this impromptu lie would work…

'_What is 'claustrophic'?' _Naruto thought, donning his squinty-eyed face of confusion.

'_**It means she can't be stuck in confined places, kit. You'd better get to her quick before it's too late!'**_ the kyuubi unexpectedly answered his container's question misleadingly.

'_What?! Oh no, I've gotta save Hinata!'_ With that the jichuuriki sprung into action, while his demon merely snickered and thought to itself _**'Too easy.'**_

Hinata stood beside the door of the change room, ready to slam it shut the second her knight in orange armor opened it. However, this moment never came. Instead, she just heard a loud slam, and the enraged shouts of a woman. Apparently, between the distracting clothing and the hero instincts urging him forward, Naruto had forgotten which room Hinata occupied, and had kicked down the wrong door. The woman on the other side had obviously been less receptive than Hinata would have been, as she had blown a fuse and violently chased the 'pervert' out of the store. By the time the blue-haired ninja changed and exited the change room, she was disappointed when she was unable to find the blonde anywhere inside or outside of the store. He had most likely fled the area from embarrassment. Hinata attempted to stay positive; she had spent a lot more time with her love, and had got some clothes she knew Naruto would like out of it. If his reactions to her new clothes were any indication, perhaps he would even begin seeing her more as a woman than just another friend too?

* * *

The following days were not as good as Hinata had hoped. Due to missions, she and Naruto had not seen each other much in over a week. When both were in the leaf village, neither had time to do more than give the other a passing wave when they saw each other on their way to their next destination.

It came as a relief to Hinata when Tsunade had informed her team that she did not have any missions left for them. In fact, the hokage had supposedly granted all three of the former genin squads and team Gai a temporary break from missions, though she did not say why.

The answer to that question came soon after the debriefing though, as team 8 ran into a certain pink-haired shinobi not far from the Hokage tower.

"Yo guys, what's up!" Sakura called cheerily.

"Hey Sakura!" Kiba answered just as happily. "Nice to see ya, we just got outta the Hokage tower. Had to hand in our report on our last mission."

"Great! I just wanted to let you all know that it's Naruto's birthday in three days. We're throwing him a surprise party, and I'm trying to get the whole gang to come!"

"I would love to come." Hinata said.

"I shall attend too." Shino said in his usual monotone, though inside he was happy to not be left out for once.

"I dunno, last time we all hung out together I recall waking up in a cage," Kiba spat out. He crossed his arms and looked away, turning his nose up in discontent.

In a flash, Sakura's face went from joyful to threatening. "Don't make me get your leash and drag you there, dog boy! I got us all some time off from the Hokage for this!" the Hokage's apprentice yelled, fist raised in warning. Kiba nearly pissed himself when he saw the look on her face.

"Okay, okay! I'll come!" the dog breeder exclaimed fearfully.

"Great to hear it. Now if you'll excuse me, I still have to find team Gai. See ya there!" Sakura waved and jogged off. Everyone waved back, with the exception of Kiba, who just let out a sigh of relief when the short-tempered kunoichi left.

* * *

After a celebratory lunch at the diner her team would frequent after a successful mission, Hinata's team split and went their separate ways, leaving Hinata alone with her thoughts. She was ecstatic that she would be able to see Naruto again, but could only wonder, _'What should I get him? Hmm… I wonder if there is some sort of present I could get him that might show him the kind of relationship I wish to have with him. But what could I get him that could show my love for him?' _

Not having anything better to do, the lavender-eyed girl walked off towards the shopping district, brainstorming ideas on the way. However, somewhere between the diner and the shopping district, Hinata found herself walking past the bathhouse, when a peculiar sight drew her out of her thoughts. Out of the corner of her byakugan eyes, Hyuuga spotted the end of a red robe sticking out of a tree beside the bathhouse fence. Hinata knew immediately who the garment belonged to.

"Ero-sennin!" Hinata shouted to the unexpecting voyeur. Jiraiya was scared to be found out; usually when women shouted at him while he was peeping bad things happened. He shot out of the tree, landing on his face. Mumbling and rubbing his sore face, he got to his feet, surprised to see who had so rudely interrupted his _research_.

"Wait a sec, you're one of Naruto's pals, right? For the love of Kami, don't tell me he's got all of you guys calling me that now!" The toad sage was tremendously frustrated. It was bad enough that gaki of a student wouldn't stop calling him that, and now it's catching on? He was seriously going to need to get even with the gaki for that.

"What do you think you're doing, pervert!"

"I'm trying to do some research! Could you keep it down, they'll hear us! Now, if you don't need anything, I would appreciate it if you would leave me alone."

'_The nerve of the man! He's not even going to __**try**__ to defend himself, has he no shame! I can't believe this man actually taught Naruto! The only thing he has ever been able to pay attention to is…' _That's when Hinata got an idea. Who else would be able to give better advice on how to get her crush to take notice of her than the infamous pervy-sage? Perhaps he could give her an idea that would help get a boy's attention?

Before the old lecher could climb back into the tree, Hinata hesistantly spoke up. "Wait. Actually, there is something you could help me with. If you do, I will not continue to interrupt your – _research_," Hinata's voice dripped venom at the word.

Jiraiya let out a sigh of both relief and annoyance. "Fine. What is it you want – Hinata, is it?"

Hinata nodded. "Actually, I was hoping you could give me some advice… On how to get a boy to notice me…"

The sage's mouth formed a lecherous grin, and he let out a quiet chuckle. "Oh really now? Anyone in particular?" the pervert prodded immaturely.

"N-no," Hinata lied. She could not let Naruto's sensei know the boy in question was his own student; she was afraid he would tell him. The heiress definitely did not want her crush to find out about her feelings from this depraved lecher.

"Look, I don't really have much time now, I gotta finish my next novel before its deadline. If you really want the boy to fall for you, take this," Jiraiya said as he fished a book out of his pocket, "Just read through this; it's filled with ideas that should get anybody with a working rod's attention." The lecher giggled with his perverted grin and leaped away, leaving Hinata alone.

The curious girl looked down to the book which supposedly held all the answers to her near-lifelong predicament. Hinata blushed after reading the title of the novel.

Icha Icha Techniques.

Hinata was at a loss for words, yet strangely unsurprised. What else would she expect from the ero-sennin? Intrigue hit the Hyuuga, and she decided to open the book, just to see what all the fuss was about. She began to read the first chapter, attempting to discreetly hide the title of the novel, while continuing to make her way to the shopping district.

The book was unlike anything she had read before, definitely not an acceptable novel for a proper Hyuuga. Hinata could not stop reading it though. Despite being infamous as smut, the storyline proved to rather compelling and intricate, even quite romantic. By the second chapter, she had reached the first adult scene, and it intrigued her even more. Though Hinata did certainly know about the act of sex, the teen had never seen it described so… _vividly_. Neither of her parental figures had gone so in depth in their talks to her about the subject. As the characters continued their lewd deeds, the captivated teen began picturing her and Naruto in their place. _'Oh my… __**that**__ would definitely get Naruto-kuns attention… I wonder if he would actually do that with me… Wow… that sounds __**really**__ hot… I wonder if it actually feels that good… Where would I even buy one of __**those**__?'_

By the time the pervy Hyuuga got to the third chapter, she had gotten into the habit of replacing the lead characters' names with theirs, not even remembering the protagonist's actual name. By the fourth she had forgotten any insecurities she held about reading the book in public, and by the time she read the fifth chapter she had no clue or care for where she was or where she was going.

A while after Hinata had unknowingly passed the shopping district, Kakashi had seen her walking down the street, lost in the same installment of his favourite series as him. He approached the byakugan user, synching their steps together to walk beside her.

"It's nice to see the youth of today enjoying the joys of fine literature," he declared without looking up, giving on of his eye-smiles.

"Hm? Yeah," Hinata responded absent-mindedly, her pupiless eyes never leaving the page.

"Which chapter are you on?"

"Eight."

"Oh, that's a good one. Makes me cry every time." Though she was not paying much mind to the cycloptic jonin beside her, part of Hinata's mind could not help but think _'Cry? But he's __**always**__ reading one of these books, and I have never seen him get at all emotional over it. Maybe that's why he always covers one eye?' _While Hinata read her new favourite novel and pondered the possibility of crying with one eye, the copycat nin continued. "You must have just started reading then, I won't spoil the rest for you. But may I ask what you're doing all the way out in this training ground? I know your team has the day off, and it does not seem like you are training by yourself either."

This broke Hinata out of her trance, her head shooting up in confusion. Indeed, she had walked all the way over to the training grounds, a good mile and a half away from her intended destination. "Oh, hehe, I guess I must have zoned out there…" the heiress confessed, embarrassed for being so caught up in the erotic novel. "Why are you here?" Hinata asked, now curious why the sharingan user was here too, seemingly doing the same thing as she was.

"Oh, I'm just trying to avoid someone."

"Well, um… bye," the Hyuuga awkwardly said, wanting to head back and not really knowing what else to talk about with the team seven leader.

"Bye then, enjoy the book. Oh yeah! And if you run into Gai, tell him I'm too busy training Naruto to do any challenges. And if you see Naruto, tell him I can't train him because I'm leaving for a mission. And if you see Tsunade, tell her I am too sick to go on any missions today. And if you see Sakura, tell her I'm busy helping Anko with something and can't test out her new food pill. And if you happen to run into Anko – tell her I moved – or died on a mission, whichever feels more believable." Hinata sweat dropped, nodding her head in response. Did Kakashi ever do **anything** other than read those wonderful, smutty books? Forget late, it was a wonder the lazy shinobi ever showed up for his team at all. Replace those books with cloud watching, and the man was practically an older Shikamaru.

* * *

**In a Barbeque Restaurant in Konoha**

A lazy Nara was eating with his teammates, when the urge to sneeze hit him. "A – AAh –" However, instead of ending it with a climatic 'CHU!' the pineapple-haired shinobi merely muttered a "troublesome" under his breath, unable to summon the effort to even sneeze.

* * *

As Hinata departed the training grounds, she realised that it was nearly time for dinner. Disappointed she had wasted a day of looking for a gift for her love, she reluctantly walked home before she was late for dinner.

On the way home, while reading the book she had received from Jiraiya and contemplating applying some of the ideas in the book, she got an idea for her gift for the lucky Uzumaki. If she played this right, there was no way even Naruto could miss this hint. Subtlety be damned.

* * *

On October 10, Naruto's apartment was crowded with all his friends and senseis, all waiting for konoha's number one knucklehead to return from his daily pilgrimage to Ichiraku's. All of the konoha 11, their senseis, the new team seven members Yamato and Sai, konohamaru, and Jiraiya had showed up. They were all chatting to each other in the darkened apartment, waiting for the birthday boy to arrive.

Neji deactivated his byakugan. "He's coming! Everyone be quiet!" Neji called out in warning, silencing the room. "Hinata… You can deactivate your byakugan too now…" Despite this, his cousin gave no response, nor showed any signs of stopping anytime soon. Neji just shrugged it off, figuring she was just nervous seeing him like she used to be. However, in the darkness of the room Neji had not noticed Hinata's tomato red blush, or that she was shifting her legs uncomfortably. At the moment, Hinata appeared to be imagining – _blowing out Naruto's candle_. (**A/N:** I'm not sure if that innuendo is awesome or awful – _let me know in the reviews!_ …either way it's soo appropriate for the occasion…)

After entering his door and turning on the lights, Naruto was greeted with over a dozen shinobi yelling "SURPRISE!" Startled beyond belief, Naruto's ninja instincts kicked in and he threw a kunai towards the nearest target. It hit Shino directly in the right shoulder, piercing deep into the skin.

This is why ninjas do not throw surprise parties.

Sakura had to stop Shino's bleeding and rushed him to the hospital. Shino sulked the entire way, nearly in tears, not due to the pain but because he was once again being left out.

After the blonde had realised who the intruders were, he sheepishly apologised for freaking out, and thanked everyone for coming. With that awkwardness out of the way, the festivities began, everyone eating, talking, and having an overall good time. After some time had passed, and Sakura had returned from escorting the bug tamer to the hospital, the others decided to begin handing Naruto their presents.

There were many presents, some expensive, some handmade, some with a lot of thought put into it, and even a couple gag gifts. Tenten had got Naruto a katana from her father's shop, Sakura bought her teammate an Ichiraku gift card, Lee gave Naruto a spandex suit like his only in orange, while Gai gave him a set of leg weights. When it was Kiba's turn to hand his gift to the whiskered shinobi, Naruto opened the box to find a litter box inside, while Kiba joked about his whiskers making him look like a kitten. This earned a roaring round of laughter from the other partygoers, and an irritated growl from the recipient. Obviously he was attempting to take retribution for all the dog jokes he had been putting up with lately. No one could blame him; the teasing had even followed him in his missions, as Kurenai would often give him commands like a dog in the field.

"_Kiba, stay!" "Go, fetch the intel boy!" "Sick 'em!" "C'mon Kiba, give the client a paw!" _It was really becoming too much…

After the laughter had died down, Hinata handed Naruto her gift. It was a smaller gift, a bit larger than a hand, and rectangular. "I hope you like it Naruto-kun. It has lots of new techniques I thought you might like to learn," Hinata told the blonde with a cute smile, though something was a bit off in the way she had said it. Naruto did not notice this though, as he was too excited by the prospect of all the powerful jutsu he could master. A few of the group, such as Neji and Lee, leaned in closer, curious to see what kinds of techniques the hyperactive ninja would be learning.

"Really?! Thanks Hinata, you're the best!" the jinchuuriki proclaimed joyously, beaming in anticipation. He hastily tore through the wrapping paper to find what lay underneath. When the present was revealed, everyone else in the room sweat dropped, while Naruto simply looked confused by the gift.

Hinata leaned in close to Naruto, and said in a seductive voice, "I am available to help you train with the new techniques anytime." This was meant for only Naruto to hear, but the room was so silent that it was clearly audible to everyone, who stood frozen with gaping mouths. Jiraiya and Kiba were leaking blood by the gallons, and judging by Kakashi's now red mask he was also. Naruto just furrowed his brow in further confusion.

"Uh, Hinata… You sure you didn't mix up the books? This is ero-sennin's new novel," Naruto said, holding up a copy of Icha Icha Techniques, puzzled as to why Hinata would get him this or how any of what she said made any sense. However, Hinata shook her head to assure him it was the right book.

Most of the other shinobi face palmed so hard the slapping sound reverberated three blocks away. If Naruto were any more dense, he would create a black hole. Kiba was in tears, mumbling "why him!" to himself, while Kurenai had to pinch herself, not believing the timid girl she had trained since age twelve could ever be so – _forward_. Jiraiya was currently balling his eyes out in Kakashi's arms, both crying out that they had failed as teachers. Gai was covering his favourite student's eyes, while Lee was desperately struggling to pry them off, wanting to find out the title of the legendary sage's book of techniques to buy himself a copy, not wanting to be outdone by Naruto. Sai just stood there with his normal fake smile the whole time, thinking _'Yes, dickless would be the perfect nickname for him.'_ Konohamaru was confused by the spectacle around him, just as ignorant as Naruto and Lee. Naruto was still trying to make sense of this weird gift. _'She knows I don't read ero-sennin's pervy books, and what could she possibly mean by training?' _However, he was unable to figure anything out as his thoughts were drowned out by the sound of the kyuubi banging his head against the bars of his cell.

Once everyone had calmed down, and had agreed Naruto was never going to get the hint, they all continued with the remainders of the presents. Sai had drawn a portrait of their new team, while Ino had got the clueless teen some more fashionable, less orange clothes. Jiraiya had also given Naruto an autographed copy of Icha Icha Techniques, though he made it crystal clear that he would **not** be helping his apprentice practice any of the techniques, furthering the blonde's confusion. Kakashi had purchased a brand new set of – ok, a **used** set of kunai. How cheap could he be? A few of the people beside him had actually seen him pull them out of his equipment pouch just a minute ago! No one could believe the copycat ninja would give his student such a lame gift, but understood after they noticed him holding yet another copy of Icha Icha Techniques behind his back. Figures.

After the rest of the gang gave their gifts, they all moved onto the cake and continued the party.

* * *

The party was over, and all of Naruto's friends had said their goodbyes and went their separate ways home. To say Hinata was disappointed in the outcome of the party was an understatement.

She had greatly underestimated Naruto's denseness. I mean, what does she need to do, rip off her shirt and yell 'Take me now!'? No, as appealing an option as that was at this point, she would never do such a thing, **especially** not in a room filled with all of her comrades and teachers. No, she was a Hyuuga, she still had _some_ decency – though she was definitely going to have to take a more direct approach. It would be so much easier for the heiress if she could just say those three Kami forsaken words – I love you. **I LOVE YOU.** Maybe then she could finally get laid – er, _noticed_. Yes, _noticed_ all over his apartment, crying out his name with her ass in the air like with Riku and Katsumi in chapt – ok, maybe she was reading a _little bit_ too much Icha Icha, it was starting to affect her brain.

What just added insult to injury, however, was that both copies of the book given to Naruto were taken when everyone was beginning to leave. Obviously all eyes went to Kakashi when the ninjas noticed the novels were missing, however everyone quickly abandoned that suspicion after the cyclops reminded them all that he already had three copies of the novel, why would he need to steal more? Still, Hinata could not help but wonder what kind of ass would steal someone's birthday presents during their party.

* * *

**A Street Somewhere In Konoha**

"Oh man, wait til the boss sees all the cool new techniques I learn! I'm sure big brother Naruto won't mind me borrowing his books for a little while, hehe. Besides, by the time I'm done reading them, I'll be able to kick his butt with my awesome new jutsu! Hmm… weird… I think these are some kind of combo attacks; I've never heard of anyone doing **that** in battle though… Maybe Moegi and Udon can help me train!"

* * *

**A/N:** Woo! And that's the end of that chapter! In I didn't make it obvious enough for anyone who took the books at the end, it was Konohamaru. Duh.

Hope you enjoyed! If you did, **REVIEW/FAVE/FOLLOW/TWEET/RATE/POKE/SHARE!**

Can't wait to get the next chapter out, hopefully it turns out well too, and hopefully I can get it done in about a week, as is starting to become pretty much the norm. Toodles!


	6. Chapter 5: Old Habits

**A/N: Yo, I'm back with the new chapter! Sorry it took longer than usual, my bad. I just got really distracted. Or maybe it's my way of retaliating to when the previous episode of Naruto got delayed a week (Even tho that makes no sense, I doubt the anime company reads this). Or perhaps I abandoned the series but was scared back into writing it by MistaBiggle's comment. (':s) Before I start this off, I just wanna say thanks to everyone who's been following this story, to all the reviewers, everyone who's added this fic to a community, and anyone who's been supporting the series in any way. Thanks guys, you are all the reason I keep uploading this story, I hope you enjoy.**

**And as you may have noticed, I have recently switched the rating to 'M'. If you would like to find out why – read!**

**Legal Art: Disclaimer no jutsu! I don't own Naruto!**

"Speech"

'_Thoughts'_

'_**Kyuubi Thought**__'_**/"Kyuubi Speech in Mindscape"**

Book Title

* * *

A sweaty and exhausted Naruto, unable to support himself anymore, lied down attempting to rest his worn out body. "That was – _hah_ – awesome – _hah_," the blonde declared between laboured breaths.

"Yes – _hah_ – it was," an equally drained Hinata panted out, lying beside Naruto. "How long – _hah_ – were we – _hah _– at it for?"

"A few – _hah_ – hours at least. I didn't – _hah_ – think it w – _hah_ – would be this – _hah_ – exhausting," the orange-clad shinobi said in wonder.

"I know – _hah_ – I still can't – _hah_ – feel my legs."

"You were – _hah _– amazing, Hinata."

"_hah _– You too – _hah_"

As Hinata lied there next to Naruto, she could not help but be happy to be so close to the blonde. While Hinata attempted to catch her breath, she thought back to how she ended up in this situation with her long-time crush.

* * *

**Earlier That Day**

Hinata walked down one of the many crowded streets of the village hidden in the leaves. She had just left the Hokage tower, where Tsunade had told her team that she did not have any missions for them today. The blue-haired kunoichi was always glad to have some time off; every shinobi needed a break from the stressful life of a ninja to relax once in a while. Plus, a day off meant a day that could be spent with Naruto. Since his return, Hinata had actually begun to develop a taste for Ichiraku's as well, and had used this as an excuse to stop by when her blonde ray of light was there, and the two had spent a lot more time together because of it. Though they would just eat and talk about their day, it was still the highlight of the day for the heiress.

However, today Naruto had not been at his usual lunch hangout. This obviously came as a letdown to Hinata, but she did not let it drag her down. Instead, she decided to use her free time to get another book from her new favourite erotica series. Though she is embarrassed to admit it, the Hyuuga heiress had been so engrossed by Icha Icha Techniques that she had read through the whole book in just a week, and had started reading through the rest of the series. She had stopped reading in public though, as that act often led to her being late for her curfew, or finding herself downright lost.

However, the pupiless kunoichi never reached the bookstore, because along the way she was interrupted by an unexpected, but very pleasant, surprise.

"Hey, Hinata!" Hinata turned around after hearing someone shouting her name, not that she had too – she would recognize that voice anywhere.

"Naruto, hello," she responded with some surprise in her voice, caught off-guard by her crush's sudden appearance. What could Naruto be doing out in this part of the village by himself?

The blonde rushed up to the surprised kunoichi with his usual foxy smile plastered on his face. "Perfect, I was just looking for you!" he exclaimed gleefully.

'_Wait, Naruto-kun was looking for __**me**__? What could he possibly want me for? Unless – no, there is no way.' _"Really? Why were you looking for me?" Hinata asked, astonished that her spiky-haired heartthrob was actually seeking her out. She was hoping against her better judgement that perhaps he had caught on to her feelings and was coming to ask her out, or declare his own love for her, or just take her right there and make her his! _'…Maybe I should cut down on the Icha Icha, before I do something indecent in public'_ Hinata conceded, making a mental amendment that she would have no problem doing anything lewd in public if she was with Naruto.

"Well, you see… It's just, there's something I've really wanted to do… Like, it's just that… Well, everyone else has already done it, and I just feel like…" the Uzumaki nervously rambled. Hinata just stood silently, clueless as to what could have the ever confident shinobi so flustered. "...I mean, I guess what I wanna say is… I'd like to take you up on that offer you made on my birthday…"

"…"

Hinata was a statue at this point. Her muscles had tensed and her eyes were wide. While her body was frozen in place, her mind was using every bit of its capacity to process what Naruto had just said. _'My offer – on his birthday – does he mean what I said when I gave him his gift? __**WAIT**__ – he figured out what I meant!? And he wants to do… _**that**_… with me? I… I… He… OH SWEET KAMI I AM GOING TO RIDE HIM SO HARD HIS WHISKER MARKS FALL OFF! ! !'_

"If you don't want to anymore, that's ok, I guess I'll just ha-"

"**NO**! I would love to! Anytime, ever!" Hinata all but shouted at the top of her lungs, mortified by the thought of losing her chance with Naruto. When she saw her lover-to-be's look of shock, she realized she had just yelled her response at him, and blushed furiously. _'Oh no… Now he's going to think I am some sort of easy whore… I hope he does not change his mind…'_

Fortunately for Hinata, Naruto just shook his head and beamed back at the girl, happy she had agreed. "Great! Let's go!" the Uzumaki exclaimed.

"Right now?" Hinata responded, shocked by the suddenness of the blonde's request. Not that she was complaining though.

"Yeah, why not! You said you were free anytime, right?" Naruto said as he grabbed the scarlet-faced kunoichi by the wrist. She had indeed said that. Hinata was only able to get out a startled "meep" as the orange-clad shinobi began pulling her down the street.

As the orange and lavender blurs flew through the town streets, the lavender blur's mind was racing. She thought about how suddenly Naruto had taken her up on her offer; she thought about how she had not even expected the blonde to catch her innuendo;, she thought about what they were about to do with each other – _thoroughly._ During their sprint through the town, something in particular that Naruto had said crossed her mind. _'Wait – __**everyone **__else has already done it?'_ They were ninjas; they were taught to kill with lethal weapons at ten, and could be thrown into situations where they would have to by twelve. Shinobi grew up fast, and in many cases died fast, so they usually held few reservations when it came to sex. Losing your virginity young was not uncommon in their profession, though Hinata still could not believe **everyone** else of their group had already done it. _'I know Tenten and Neji had their _thing_ at Naruto-kun's sleepover, Ino's told me about some of her past boyfriends (a little bit __**too**__**much**__), and I have been suspicious of Shikamaru and Temari's relationship… but even Lee? __**Lee**__? And I always thought Sakura would hold out for Sasuke; I know she's still delusionally in love with him. And Shino… *shudder* I wonder if he has any of his bugs down there…'_

While the horrified teen attempted to ward off the disgusting mental image, she realised a detail she had nearly missed. _'Wait – everyone __**else**__ has already done it? Does that mean…' _Hinata only managed to hold back her squeal of joy due to the fact that she lacked the breath to do so from trying to keep up with her crush. The heiress revelled in the fact that she would be Naruto's first (and hopefully last) just as he would be his. Hinata could never imagine giving her virginity to anyone but her love, but she had to give out a silent but grateful 'thank you' to whatever god had performed the miracle of keeping the blonde hunk in front of her from losing his during his two-year road trip with the biggest pervert in the five elemental nations.

The blue-haired chunin was so caught up in her own thoughts she had not noticed until Naruto stopped that they had not been travelling in the direction of his apartment. Instead, when her guide had stopped, she found the two of them standing in a vacant training ground.

"Ano… Naruto-kun, why did you bring me here?" Hinata asked, confusion dominating her eyes.

"Well, I use this training field a lot when I practice alone, and no one else ever seems to use it, so I figured it was as good a place as any," the blonde said shrugging.

'_He cannot possibly mean he wants to… __**here**__!?' _Hinata froze in fear and nervousness, she had definitely not pictured her first time being in public. Deep in some depraved corner of her mind, however, a spark of excitement grew from the idea of it, the rush of possibly being caught at any moment. Despite this, she was still very hesitant to actually go through with such a thing, and shook her head clear of the thought. "Why not just go to your apartment?" Hinata asked the obvious question. Naruto lived alone, and to her knowledge did not receive visitors too often, it was an ideal place.

"My apartment?" the jinchuuriki asked, looking a little confused himself now. "Uh, well it's a little small, don't ya think? And I don't wanna wreck the place." Naruto sounded as if the answer was obvious, and Hinata's eyes could only widen.

'_Oh Kami what am I getting myself into'_ the confused kunoichi thought, uncertain whether to be curious, afraid, or aroused. Her already present blush intensified as the first and final emotion caused her to attempt to imagine what he would do to her that would wreck his place. "But… W-what if someone sees us?" Hinata asked shakily.

The blonde just raised a brow, curious why the girl in front of him was asking so many questions. "What's the big deal with that? They could even join us if they want to." Hinata's blood-red flushed face started to go blue after she forgot to breathe. "…Well, as long as they aren't like Sakura. She just laughed at me when I asked her about it."

Ignoring the fact that her crush had gone for her bubblegum-haired rival before her, Hinata finally breathed in as she wondered what Sakura could have to laugh about. **Laugh!** _'The nerve of her! I am glad she turned him down, but to __**laugh?!**__ I got a pretty good view with my byakugan before, and he __**definitely **__has nothing to laugh about. Maybe it was because he told her he wanted to do… _it_ in public? Or perhaps does he have some sort of strange fetish he hasn't told me about yet?'_ the Hyuuga racked her brain; feeling relieved, furious, and puzzled by Sakura's reaction.

Throughout her entire questioning, Hinata had been unknowingly inching closer to the object of her desires, and the close proximity was becoming unbearable for the girl. She could not help but lose herself in the sapphire gems he had for eyes, and she could feel the warmth of his breath on her, still heavy from the run to the training ground. Privacy be damned, she was going to make Naruto hers, right there and now! Abandoning all self-restraint, she lunged into her wanting crush, aiming to steal his lips in the searing kiss Hinata had dreamed of for years.

She closed her eyes, expecting her lips to meet his. However, all she felt was the hard ground slam into her face as the startled heiress was thrown to the ground. "Aaah! What was that for?" she asked, bewildered by her partner's sudden action.

"What? Gomen, Hinata! When you came at me like that I thought we were starting!" the blonde answered worriedly.

'_My Kami, I had no idea Naruto-kun was so rough! Now I know why he didn't want to do this in his apartment…'_ "It's ok, Naruto-kun," Hinata lied, "but do you think you could be – just a _little_ bit gentler?" As if that wasn't the biggest understatement of the century. To say Naruto was being a _little _bit rough with her right now would be like saying Jiraiya was a _little_ bit perverted, or that Sasuke held a _little_ bit of a grudge against Itachi. If her love continued like this, she was not sure she would make it out of here without a few broken bones!

The horny Hyuuga slowly got to her feet, rubbing her sore head as Naruto responded ."What?! Come on, it wouldn't be any fun if I went easy on you! I know you can take it, and I don't want you holding back on me either!" Hinata began sweating in fear. Her feet were glued to where they stood, and her eyes were wide like dinner plates. She silently made out her will – she obviously left everything to Naruto, except for a couple small things for Neji and Hanabi to remember her by. However, all of the scared kunoichi's fear melted into confusion after her rough love's next sentence.

"There was something I was hoping to try today, but we can start off with a little spar if you really want to."

"Spar? Why would we spar?" Hinata asked without a clue in her mind what Naruto was talking about, not even wanting to know what it was he had wanting to try doing to her.

Now Naruto shared the same puzzled expression as the heiress before her. "You said that you wanted to train with me, right?" the ignorant knucklehead questioned. Hinata merely sweat-dropped. _'So __**that **__was what he wanted me for? So he… __**didn't**__ figure out what I was trying to imply?' _Hinata realized. A wave of relief swept over her as her body relaxed. She was too relieved to even feel upset in the slightest that she and Naruto were not going to be doing anything intimate with each other. As she was about to allow her body to drop to the ground, reassured she was not about to be hospitalized in the most embarrassing way possible, one question surfaced to the front of her mind.

"Then what was it that you had wanted to try, that you said everyone else has already done, that had made Sakura laugh at you?" Hinata held a curiosity in her eyes, but also a look that pleaded him to open up to her, and a sincere willingness to help. Naruto knew she would not think less of him for this, though he was still a little bit nervous telling her what was on his mind.

The orange-clad started rubbing the back of his neck, averting his gaze from Hinata. He began to explain his intentions in a somewhat embarrassed tone. "Well, ya see… It's just that… I know this probably sounds stupid but…" Naruto paused for a few seconds before letting out a loud sigh, his expression turning slowly from nervous to solemn and thoughtful. "The other day, I was talking with some of the others, and somehow we started talking about how I was the only one who hadn't made chuunin yet. It just made me realize – how far behind I've always been behind everybody. I was always dead-last in the academy, I was the last one to graduate and become a genin, and now I'm gonna be the last one to become chuunin – I'll probably be the last one of us to get promoted to jonin too. Heck, I failed the academy final exam **three **times – no one else in the class had to even had to take it a second time, and even when I did pass, it was just on an exception. I know I learned the shadow clone technique, and a bunch more advanced jutsu, but I was never even able to – **still** am not able to even perform the clone technique! It just feels like… like I've been taking all these weird shortcuts, skipping all the basic skills I could never really get down, and I feel like I'll never really be able to catch up to any of you guys until I stop that – stop giving up whenever I hit a roadblock – cuz you know I never give up. That's why I wanted to see if I could go back and catch up to you guys, starting with the clone jutsu – that is, if you'll help me."

"Of course I will Naruto-kun," Hinata responded, her eyes shining with sincerity. She was extremely moved by her crush's speech and determination, it was the reason she had fallen in love with him. A small smile tugged at the jinchuuriki's lips, and Hinata could not help but smile sweetly back.

* * *

And that is how the two came to their present situation, each lying on the ground, sweaty and exhausted. It had taken a little while, but Naruto was finally able to create his first successful clone. He had been so excited that he had actually run up and hugged Hinata, much to her enjoyment. As there was still most of the day left at this point, the two had decided to train a while longer. After a few hours of sparring, even the stamina freak of the leaf was gasping for air.

While the pair recharged, Naruto was in the middle of a pride-fueled rambling about what he would be doing next. "… and then I'll finally have to learn to use the rasengan with one hand! And then I'll…"

Hinata on the other hand, was just lying in a silent trance. The heiress could not tear her gaze from her crush's bright smile. She felt as if she was floating, knowing that she had helped put that smile on the blonde's face. The blue-haired teen was broken out of her trance as her training partner slowly got to his feet and turned to her. Naruto, still grinning his foxy grin, bent down and offered a hand to the drained Hyuuga. Hinata happily accepted, placing her small, feminine hand into his larger, calloused one. She basked in the warmth she received as her love gripped her hand and pulled her up.

As she was raised to her feet, she thought to herself _'I cannot believe this. Naruto-kun's holding my hand… Two years ago, I would have fainted the instant we touched. Yet, I am still no closer to making him mine…'_ It was true. For as far as Hinata had come over the years, all the time she had spent talking and flirting with him, all the revealing clothes she had bought just for him, everything she had done, she was still no closer to having Naruto realize her feelings than when she was still shy and terrified of being near him. Even with the confidence to try to get her crush to notice her, his density would still prevail. Hell, the last time she had attempted to seduce the knucklehead it had ended with the two of them training! **Everyone** else who had heard her obvious attempt at seducing the teen shinobi had deciphered it, **except **said boy (Well, and Lee and Konohamaru). Does anyone else have any understanding of how frustrating that felt?!

* * *

**In a Palace in the Land of Demons**

A sneeze escaped a blonde priestess' lips.

"Lady Shion, are you alright?" a servant inquired.

"Yes, it was just a sneeze. Now, have you prepared the arrangements for the ceremony?" Shion asked.

"My lady, I believe you may be rushing things. The temple has been set up for the wedding for a week already, but we cannot keep it like that forever! Uzumaki-san never even said when he would be back! Many of your subjects are beginning to question whether he even is co-"

"Silence!" the irritated priestess interjected. "He **will** be back! Naruto promised me an heir, he will not forget about me!"

"But lady Shion, it has been months since he left, and we have received no word from him since! Perhaps you should begin searching for another suitor, it is clear to the others that he must have no intentions of –" The servant was cut-off mid-sentence when Shion quickly grabbed the bell by her neck and violently shook it.

"Oh, you hear that?! I'm getting a vision! I see that you are going to die if you finish that sentence!" the priestess threatened. The now sweating servant shut his mouth as he bowed and hurriedly exited the priestess' chambers.

* * *

**Back at the Training Ground**

While Hinata was reflecting to herself, the jinchuuriki in front of her spoke up. "So, what do you wanna do now Hinata?" The blonde looked expectantly at her awaiting an answer. However, the response Naruto received was one he had not witnessed in a long time. Hinata's grip on his hand loosened as she began to sway back and forth, back and forth, until –

**THUD.**

After an over two-year streak, Hinata fainted. Naruto's eyes widened as she fell back to the ground. The orange-clad ninja panicked and rushed to her side. "Hinata, are you ok?! Hinata? **Hinata!?**"

Naruto was perplexed; he had not seen this coming. Since he had arrived back in the village from his trip, he had yet to see Hinata faint like she used too. He had assumed she had finally gotten over whatever recurring illness had been causing it, but apparently this was not so.

The unconscious girl was showing no signs of waking up. Naruto panicked; he had no medical ninja skills, but he knew he could not just leave Hinata lying on the ground like this. What if she had suffered heat stroke? Sitting out in the sun certainly would not help. Or perhaps it was just exhaustion or dehydration from the training? Regardless of what it was, Naruto knew that the passed-out kunoichi needed some help, and resolved to take her someplace where she could be better cared for.

The worried blonde got onto one knee and picked up his sleeping friend bridal style before taking off towards the village. Unbeknownst to him, the girl he was carrying was currently fighting off a smirk from appearing on her face.

Yes, Hinata was very much conscious. While the heiress was reminiscing over her old timid habits, she remembered all the times she would faint around the object of her desires. The part she would enjoy remembering was how Naruto had always seemed so concerned for her; he had never ignored her when she was unconscious, and always made sure she was ok. This gave Hinata an idea, and so far it had been worth the uncushioned fall just to be held in the arms of the boy who already held her heart.

This was not the first time Naruto had carried Hinata, though it was the first time it had happened while she was (secretly) conscious, and she loved her crush' touch. In fact, she desperately wanted more. Noticing that the boy's right hand was only inches away from her butt, Hinata thought that perhaps, if she subtly shifted her weight a bit, maybe she could land his hand there…

…

**THUD**

"Uh oh, sorry 'bout that Hinata, hehe," Naruto apologised sheepishly.

Bad idea. The unexpected squirming from Hinata had caused Naruto to lose his grip and accidentally drop her. When the boy noticed that the pupiless kunoichi was still out of it, he shrugged off her movements, figuring she just fidgets in her sleep. He picked her back up and continued towards his destination.

* * *

After 15 blissful minutes of travelling through the village in the embrace of her crush, Hinata felt Naruto stop, and heard the opening of a door. She mentally crossed her fingers; if the lack of Hyuuga gaurds interrogating Naruto were any indication, her plan seemed to be working. Hinata knew Naruto, being the kind-hearted soul he was, would take care of her had she fainted again. Hinata knew how much Naruto detested hospitals, and figured he would most likely avoid going to one unless something more serious had happened. That only left his apartment or the Hyuuga compound, and Naruto's apartment was much closer to the training field than her house.

Soon Hinata felt her body gently make contact with a soft surface, followed by the closing of a door. Hinata slowly opened an eye by a tiny slit. She could have utilised her byakugan to survey her surroundings without the need to open her eyes, but she figured the pulsating veins on her face would be easier to spot. Hinata's peek confirmed two things: that this was indeed not her home but Naruto's, and that he had currently left the room.

Extremely proud of her plan, a grin stretched across Hinata's face as she opened her eyes and sat up. As she took a quick look around, she realized that she was seated in Naruto's bedroom, right on top of his bed. _'This is going too perfectly'_ she mentally cheered, _'Time for phase two.'_

Ever since Naruto had come back, Hinata had had one goal and one goal only, and that goal was Naruto. She had tried so hard, been so confident, done everything she could think of to win over her oblivious love, so far to no prevail. Hinata was tired of the waiting, tired of the letdowns, tired of the suspense, tired of the misunderstandings, tired of it all. Now she had Naruto right where she wanted him, and she was going to make sure there would be no uncertainty and no misunderstandings this time. She was going to make Naruto hers today.

With a few swift moves, Hinata's sweaty mesh shirt and capri pants found their way to the floor, leaving her in only her lavender bra and panties. After all, she had to leave **something** for her clueless heartthrob to take off of her; it wouldn't be fun if she did **all** the work. She waited there in her underwear, her smooth, milky-white skin still glistening from the sweaty perspiration running down it. She patted down her hair, which was still somewhat messy from their sparring, and attempted to lie in the most alluring pose possible. She was on her side, with one slender leg crossed slightly over the other. One of her elbows was supporting her upper body, while the hand of her other arm was lightly tracing her curvaceous form. Hinata arched her back slightly to stick her already large chest out a little more, her breasts nearly spilling out of their confines.

Hinata hoped Naruto would find her as tempting and irresistible as she found him, and waited there for him to return to _take care of her_.

And waited.

And waited.

After some time had passed, Hinata began to worry why the apartment's inhabitant had yet to return to his supposedly unconscious guest. Out of curiosity the Hyuuga activated her kekkei genkai and scouted out the apartment. To her surprise, it was empty except for her. Where could Naruto have gone? He couldn't have just forgotten an unconscious friend in his apartment, could he have? No, he must have had a good reason to leave. One thing was for sure: he would need to come back. Until then, Hinata made herself comfortable and took advantage of the extra time to go the bathroom to make a few last-minute touch-ups before Naruto returned.

* * *

After about a half hour of boredom and anticipation, the sound of the front door of the apartment opening alerted Hinata. She quietly scrambled back to the bed, returning to her sexy pose. After the longest seconds of Hinata's life, her spiky-haired idol entered the room – with unexpected company.

"Thanks again Sakura, she's right in here. I'm not sure what she's got, this is the first time this has happened in a-" Naruto paused after the medical ninja froze in his doorway with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. He turned his head to see what had Sakura so shocked, and was greeted by the sight of an equally shocked, but far less dressed, Hinata Hyuuga.

Naruto's eyes bulged as his face flooded with blood in perfect sync with Hinata.

Hinata clutched the sheets of the bed and lifted them to cover herself. "W-w-what are you doing here?!" Hinata squealed to Sakura in her embarrassment and panic.

Naruto, believing that question to be directed at the both of the two entering the room, stuttered out an answer to the half-naked heiress' question. "W-well, you p-passed out after our training, s-so I brought you b-back to my place, and then I got S-Sakura to come and check… you…. outIthinkshehitherheadwhenshefellyoushouldstarthealingherSakurabye!" The blonde rushed the words out of his mouth at lightning speed after 'check you out' while he attempted not to do just that. Before Hinata or Sakura could utter another word the jinchuuriki had ran out of the room, shutting the door behind him and plugging up a massive nosebleed with his hand.

When Naruto had told Sakura that Hinata had fainted, she had been skeptical at first, given her habit of doing that around her crush. However, considering she had not passed out once since his return, the medic was concerned it might actually be something serious this time. However, Sakura could easily tell now that this was not the case; she had a pretty good idea of what Hinata was trying to do, even if Naruto was still as oblivious as ever. Knowing that her healing prowess would not be needed, Sakura merely gave Hinata a sympathetic look, silently apologising for ruining whatever plan she had concocted. Hinata did not see this though, as her eyes were downcast in disappointment while she sighed and dressed herself in her discarded clothes.

Too embarrassed and saddened to say anything to Sakura, she decided to spare herself any further humiliation by just leaving out the window, abandoning her stupid plan. As she leapt away, she could not help but wonder what that spiky white bush on Naruto's balcony was, and why she could have sworn she heard it giggling.

Sighing also, Sakura headed back to Naruto's living room to tell the shinobi that Hinata was fine and had just left.

When everyone within eyesight was gone, Jiraiya got up from the spot where he was curled up outside Naruto's window, his spiky white hair retreating. "Heh, the Raging Lions' Mane makes better camouflage than I thought," the pervert mused to himself, reviewing the notes he had taken as he too left.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Lemme know what you think in the reviews! This chapter had innuendo, plot twists, Hinata's first faint, Jiraiya, partial nudity, and even an appearance from Shion! What more could you want? (Except maybe a lemon, but stay patient!) The whole 'clone jutsu' dilemma is just something I thought up in order to stick one more innuendo into there, but hey, I think it worked, and even gave the chapter a wee bit of emotion. The speech just sorta came to me, I obviously had to explain that part of the plot. NO, I am not trying to bash or belittle Naruto in any way, he was pretty powerful in the anime at this point and he is in this fic too, the speech was just Naruto's own, self-depreciating thoughts. I hope it was in character tho and made sense.**

**I hope the beginning wasn't too obvious, and I had at least a few of you going there! I even switched the rating just to make sure less of you would suspect the troll! I felt with all of the ambiguous innuendo, it needed that to keep you guys from getting suspicious of the twist. Don't be mad, just wanted the writing to have its intended impact: to trick you guys. Don't worry though, there WILL be citrus in upcoming chapters, I have planned out a lime two uploads from now, and I want a full blown lemon ending, so I may as well just leave it M anyways.**

**Speaking of next chapter, just a heads up, the next chapter to the series will be… I'm not sure what to call it, I don't think 'Omake' quite fits, but it will basically be a little bit of a departure from advancing the storyline. Instead, it will not focus on Naruto and Hinata, but will instead give many of the lesser characters an appearance, and get some insight on the rest of the village's reactions to Hinata's newfound courage and actions. It'll still be funny tho! It's going to be called: "The NaruHina Pool." Hope you look forward to it!**

**And remember: FOLLOW/FAVE/REVIEW! PCE!**


	7. Omake: The NaruHina Pool

**A/N: Hey! Here is the new update of the series! Since I felt like I could've been quicker with the last chapter, I decided to work a bit harder than usual to get this update out sooner as a little gift to all you guys. Thnx for all your support! (Don't expect the next chapter to be finished so quickly though)**

**As stated in the title, I labeled this an omake rather than an actual chapter, as it does not really revolve around the main plot of the story (though the ending will tie in with the next chapter!), but hey, this is a comedy, not like I had a really intricate or in-depth storyline to begin with! I promise it will give some laughs tho, and it gave me the opportunity to write for some characters who didn't get many (or any) appearances in the main story. Also, I don't really gamble, and have never been in a pool, but I hope I at least made the chapter sound believable &amp; make sense.**

**P.S: I couldn't come up with a good name for the bar, so I sorta took inspiration for the name (and the name of the clan who runs it) from one of my favourite non-anime sources of entertainment from Japan! If you recognize where I came up with the names from, let me know in the comments! If you're right, I'll… Respect you? I dunno, I can't really give out any prizes or anything. Also, I tried to stay true to the Narutoverse by using their currency (ryo), though I have a very shaky concept of it's worth. I did a quick search to try and make the amounts seem somewat realistic, though I apologize to anyone from pre-Meiji Japan who is thrown off by the absurdness of the wagers. Without further ado, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't profit off of this (or anything for that matter) and Naruto and all its characters except the my OC clan are owned by Kishimoto. **

"Speech"

'_Thoughts'_

'_**Kyuubi thought'**_**/"Kyuubi speech in mindscape"**

* * *

In the east end of Konoha, among the many shops and stands which had closed for the night, lied a bar bustling with customers. The bar was nothing special, just a little tavern started by a member of the Revo clan just after the third shinobi war. The Revo clan kept ownership of the bar, named _Hidden Horizon,_ since; whatever members were free from missions pitching in to run the place. It had not been renovated much, if at all, since its opening, which gave the establishment a rustic feel.

Though it was not exclusive, the bar was mostly frequented by the shinobi of the village. Many of them would come after a stressful mission to unwind and down a few cups of sake. What the ninjas appreciated most about the Hidden Horizon was that it was one of very few ninja-run bars in Konoha, the next-closest being nearly on the opposite end of the town. This always meant the shinobi would have a sympathetic bartender who understood the hardships of their line of work, giving the patrons someone to talk to about their recent missions, and the Revos would often give a free round or two to those who had been through an especially difficult or unfortunate battle.

Now, while the bar was by no means struggling, it had not usually had the volume of business it had been receiving recently. Why was it so busy? Well, a while back, the bar had been unofficially designated as the meeting place for the shinobi to share and gamble on the hottest gossip that had spread through the village in years. Many ninja men and kunoichi had a good amount of money riding on the bets, and could not afford to miss an update. Whether good news or bad news for them, it was bound to be worth hearing.

A ponytailed nin with a large scar across his nose walked through the bar doors, and up to the counter where the Hokage herself was sitting on a stool in front of a cluster of empty cups. "Yo Tsunade, I was just at Ichiraku's, and they said they want to get in on this. Teuchi says three more weeks for 7000 ryo, and Ayame's putting 4000 ryo on public," Iruka told Tsunade.

What is it that the citizens of the leaf village are betting on? None other than Konoha's favourite would-be couple, Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuuga. It all started a while back…

* * *

**Flashback**

It was an average business day for the Hidden Horizon, a good handful of shinobi drowning away their troubles with their comrades. On this particular night, Tsunade had managed to slip by Shizune and avoid doing her paperwork. So she decided to relax by indulging in her second favourite vice: sake. When the Hokage entered the bar she was given a friendly greeting from the barkeep; many of the Revo clan knew their Hokage quite well, as she was one of their best customers.

Tsunade took her usual seat and was handed a cup of her usual drink before she could even order. The busty Hokage had really come to love the service here; perhaps if she gave the clan some extra funds she could convince them to open another location closer to the Hokage tower…

The unseemingly old Senju was broken out of her thoughts by the sound of some familiar laughter. A few seats away from her sat the Jonin senseis of the Konoha 12. Gai and Asuma were laughing their asses off over something the copycat nin had shared with them, while Kurenai ashamedly stifled a reluctant giggle. Tsunade already knew what they must be talking about; it was no secret. The ninja of the village had spread news of Naruto and Hinata's misadventures quite quickly. Nearly everything the two had done would soon circulate among the village shinobi. Between at least one of their senseis inadvertently witnessing many of their antics or hearing about them from their other students, to the fact that Konoha's own gossip nin, Ino Yamanaka, was Hinata's personal advisor in most of her scheming, the rumors were well known outside of their personal circle. From the four senseis' accounts of their training mishap, to Sakura blabbing about the state she found the heiress in when she went to Naruto's apartment to heal her, to Iruka relaying what he heard about some of their conversations at Ichiraku's from the proprietor himself, the other ninja of the village stayed in the loop to what was going on between the pair.

While the shinobi knew enough about stealth and secrecy to keep from talking about the two in public, lest one of the pair overhear, or worse, a Hyuuga (who knows how they would react), this bar was a safe spot where they could indulge freely in the newest gossip regarding the young ninjas. Since the teens were still too young to drink, there was no risk in running into either of them there, and everyone figured the old tavern was not high-class enough for any of the oh-so noble and snobbish Hyuuga clan to be caught dead in. The Hidden Horizon was the haven where everyone could have a good laugh over the latest stories they heard, and nobody enjoyed these stories more than the people who knew the two the best: their senseis.

The four always came straight to the tavern after finishing with their squads' training or missions to talk about the subject that always managed to bring the four together like old times. The gossip they shared usually led to in-depth conversations, whether it be about the unlikely pair, their own younger days, or sometimes heated debates over whether the two would ever get together. And that is how it all started.

"Naruto's gonna catch on sooner or later, he can't be **that** boneheaded."

"Easy for you to say, you weren't the one who had to teach him. You know he once asked me why I only have one sharingan eye, and I told him it was because I was half Uchiha. The kid believed me! I'm fairly certain that's not how kekkei genkais work!"

"It doesn't matter, I know Hinata, and she's come a long way from the timid little girl she was when she joined my team. When she's determined, she's just like Naruto, she won't give up until she achieves it. I am sure she'll find a way to get through Naruto's thick skull."

"Please, there's a better chance of Shikamaru volunteering for… well, anything really. If she would just find the backbone to actually speak up to the knucklehead and ask him out or something, they'd probably already be together."

"Hey! Don't say that about my student! You have no idea how hard it is for her to go as far as she already has! Besides, anyone else with half a brain could have picked up on her feelings easily. If she was in love with any other boy, they would already be going out! I think something in all that ramen Naruto eats has been killing his brain cells."

"The power of youth shall triumph over all obstacles! Hinata must let the flames of her love burn bright enough for Naruto to see, only then can they join to share the springtime of their youths!"

"…Exactly, like I was saying, Naruto's not **that** boneheaded, he's bound to catch on with the way Hinata's been coming on to him. I'll bet the two of them are together by the end of the week."

Tsunade's ears immediately perked at the mention of the woman's favourite vice: gambling. She slid down to the senseis and asked, "How much money are we talking here?"

Within minutes, each of the senseis found their wallets emptied, betting their hard-earned cash on how long, if ever, it would take for Naruto and Hinata to get together. A few nearby ninja who were in the know about the rumors decided to get in on the action too. Soon, the patrons of the bar had set up a pool, placing their bets on how long it would take for the two to start going out. Given their reputations, Hinata's as heiress of the Hyuuga clan, and Naruto's as the nine-tails jinchuuriki and apprentice of one of the legendary sennin, most of the village were familiar enough with the two characters to be eager to put some money down on their own estimates.

For a while, this satisfied the ninja of the leaf. Many shinobi would be anxious to head down to the Hidden Horizon to hear the latest update on their favourite chuunin and genin. The stories always gave the ninjas a good laugh after a harsh day, some false rumors even spreading due to the gossip's popularity. The added thrill of the money riding on the two only made the news that much more interesting and suspenseful to hear. However, this rush eventually wore off as the pool quickly became boring to most of the men and women involved. Another week would pass, another group of people would be out of cash.

Fortunately the rumors kept getting juicier and juicer, which kept the gamblers entertained. At one point, after losing his earnings from his latest mission, one ninja started attempting to make some other bets, in an attempt to win his money back. This caught the interest of many of the other bar customers, and soon, bets were being made on many different aspects of the blue-haired kunoichi and orange-clad shinobi's relationship. With the way the latest exploits of the two was becoming increasingly _adult_, many of the bets became sexual also. The question was no longer when or if the two would start dating, but when or if Hinata would finally get the slow Uzumaki out of his pants. So the shinobi placed their bets. They bet on everything – and I mean _everything_. There were people betting who would be the one to initiate there future lovemaking, they bet on whether Hinata would have to break into the blonde's apartment in his sleep to finally get some, and of course there was the ever popular _Naruto is gay_ option. They even bet on whether the two would be able to make it to the bedroom or if they would just get it on in public. Which brings us back to the present…

* * *

**Back in the Present**

"Yo Tsunade, I was just at Ichiraku's, and they said they want to get in on this. Teuchi says three more weeks for 7000 ryo, and Ayame's putting 4000 ryo on public," Iruka told Tsunade, handing her a wad of bills. "Her exact words were, "I doubt that horny bitch has the decency to resist dropping to her knees and taking off his pants before Naruto even starts his second bowl of ramen one of these days!" If you ask me, she sounds jealous. I think she might have developed a little crush on Naruto herself," Iruka said chuckling.

"Well, I can't blame her," Tsunade replied, accepting the bills from the academy teacher since she had eagerly accepted the role of bookie since the beginning of the pool. "He has become quite good looking for a gaki, and she's seen him nearly every day for Kami knows how many years. Hmm… Anyone wanna bet on Ayame stealing the kid from Hinata?" Tsunade hollered to the bar patrons. She eyed the chalkboards set up behind the counter, searching for a blank space. With the volume of different bets going on, it had become rather difficult to keep track of. So, with the bartender's permission, the Hokage had set up multiple chalkboards beside the usual bar signs and menus, each one filled with the different bets people were making and their odds, to make it easier for people to review their options and keep track of all their bets.

"Oh, I don't think that relationship would ever work out well," Kakashi said, not looking up from his newest book, Icha Icha Sleepover.

"Why not?" Tsunade questioned. "I mean, the age gap between the two of them isn't that big."

"And she knows how to make his favourite ramen! If he thought she was interested in him, he'd probably drop down on one knee and propose on the spot! She's his dream-wife: his chef!" This comment earned a hearty laugh from all three, as they all knew how true that probably was.

Kakashi tried to keep it together and quiet his laughter to retort. "Yeah, but think of it this way – the only place he **ever** goes to eat is Ichiraku's, so I'm sure they would end up having most of their dates there, which would become pretty awkward." The other to shinobi nodded their heads in realization; the cycloptic jonin had a very good point. Spending all their dates in front of her father definitely would be awkward.

"Not to mention how hard of a breakup it would be," Iruka added. "There would be no way Naruto would be able to eat there again – so Naruto would starve, and Ichiraku's would go out of business." The three resumed chuckling at the imaginary relationship of Naruto and Ayame.

"I still say the gaki prefers A and D ranked missions to B and C ranked ones if you know what I mean," Anko chimed in. The others most definitely did **not **know what she meant, and just stared at her with a confused expression, waiting for her to clarify. "Ugh! The A and D stand for ass and dick, and the B and C stand for boobs and cunt. Kami! You try to be clever and make a dirty conversation a bit classier, and no one understands. I'm saying he's GAY!" Anko blurted out in frustration. The purple-haired jonin had a reputation for being rather blunt and foul-mouthed, so she was trying to be a bit more subtle in her dirtier conversations. Unfortunately, she was not so smooth at coming up with innuendo, which was most likely the reason she was always so straight-forward.

"No way," Naruto's academy teacher replied, "That kid was always all over Sakura in my classes. There's just no way he's into men."

"So he's in denial, happens all the time. Why do you think he was always so attracted to Sakura over the other girls anyway? With that temper, strong arm, big brow, and about the flattest chest in town, you gotta admit she **is** pretty masculine," Anko retorted. Iruka's mouth opened to speak, but he was unable to find the words to make a sound rebuttal.

"And isn't it true that he kissed that rogue Uchiha back in the academy? Sasuke, right?" Yamato piped in curiously. He had been told a few stories about his current team, but he had not confirmed if any of them were true.

Anko whipped her head from the wood-style user back to Iruka with wide eyes, begging for an answer. Iruka looked a little disgruntled, annoyed at these people trying to make out his favourite pupil to be something he was not. "It was an accident," Iruka mumbled, which put a toothy smile on the snake mistress' face. Anko had her hands on her stomach as she nearly fell off her stool laughing.

"Wow, and you're still trying to deny it?! Oh man, this is easy money right here! Can I put another 5000 ryo on the gaki comin' outta the closet?" Tsunade nodded her head and accepted the roll of bills shoved into her hand. "It all makes too much sense to; the only other bastard I've seen that can turn down such a hot piece of ass without a second thought is his baby-faced boyfriend himself!" Anko exclaimed, still bellowing an unstopping laugh.

* * *

**In an Underground Base Somewhere in the Sound Village**

Missing nin Sasuke Uchiha let out a quick sneeze.

"Oh no, Sasuke, sounds like you might be coming down with something," the snake sennin said in feigned concern, bearing a deviant smirk.

"Hn. It's just a damn sneeze, I am sure it's nothing," Sasuke coldly replied, arms crossed, looking away from his master.

"Well, we cannot take any risks with my future vessel. Kabuto, please retrieve some _medicine_." Sasuke did not trust the way Orichimaru had given his command. Kabuto just nodded and obediently left to retrieve said medicine. He returned a few moments later, handing the last Uchiha a small blue pill. Sasuke looked it over skeptically. It was in the shape of a diamond, and had 'VGR 100' engraved on one side. He was suspicious of the so called _medicine_, but looked back at his sensei and realized he was not going to have a choice in the matter. Reluctantly, Sasuke swallowed the pill, which caused Orichimaru's smirk to stretch into a spine-chilling grin.

"Good, good. Now we are going to have to observe how it affects your body to make sure the _medicine_ is working correctly. **STRIP**," Orichimaru commanded to a now sweaty and scared Sasuke.

* * *

**Back in the Hidden Horizon**

"How would we even know if they did get together? Hell, they could be going at it like rabbits right now for all we know," Asuma questioned Tsunade. Even though so many of their exploits had leaked to the public of Konoha, there was still the chance that the two could have done something unnoticed by anyone else.

"Fat chance," Tsunade responded confidently. "I've had a team of ANBU tailing those two for a while now. If those two so much as breathe on each other, I'll know before Naruto even catches on!" Tsunade laughed along with the shinobi around her at her joke at Naruto's expense.

"And they're also making sure no one tries to cheat and tell Naruto what's going on with Hinata!" Tsunade glared at Izumo and Kotetsu as she said this. The pair met her harsh eyes and looked away. They had, in fact, attempted to do just that a couple weeks ago. The duo were on gate duty when the whiskered teen happened to be returning from a mission. Kotetsu attempted pull Naruto away for a private word as Izumo distracted his team for the moment. That is, until a pair of ANBU appeared and informed them that the Hokage had summoned them. Suffice to say, the Hokage had not been expecting the two, and their meeting had not been pleasant when the ANBU members informed her why they brought them there. The two chuunin had been sent out of the village on the worst missions available for the next two weeks.

"So don't try to use that excuse to back out on your bet!" the Hokage sternly said to the chain-smoking sensei. Asuma just grumbled and walked out of the bar, most likely for a smoke.

"I'm surprised Jiraiya hasn't been begging you for that job all this time," Kakashi joked, his visible eye closing in a happy expression.

Tsunade merely rested her head in her hand, releasing a frustrated grunt. "Don't remind me about him. He's already been caught trying to steal an ANBU uniform from their locker room three times." The rest of the shinobi sweat-dropped. _'Figures'_ was the one thought that ran through their minds.

"Well, I suppose that would be the first time the pervert ever broke into a **men's** locker room," Kurenai jested. The rest of the ninja joined in her laughter, except for Tsunade, who just sounded more frustrated.

"Actually, the third time was in the **kunoichi **ANBU locker room." The laughter slowly died as everyone sweat-dropped again. "I honestly don't think he was trying to get a uniform that time."

As the shinobi continued their drinking and gambling, waiting to hear the newest update on the teen shinobi that were talk of the town recently, the last person anyone would have expected walked in…

-Hiashi Hyuuga-

As the clan head stepped through the doors of the tavern, every patron facing his way went silent, frozen completely on the spot. As Hiashi entered, he took note of the silence, raising a suspicious brow. This decrease in volume did not go unnoticed by Tsunade either, who turned around to see what had shut everyone up. She too was shocked beyond belief when she caught none other than the head of the prestigious Hyuuga clan entering the establishment.

'_Damn! What could Hiashi possibly be doing in a place like this?! A branch member, __**maybe**__, but the freaking head of the clan?! This could ruin everything!'_ the Hokage mentally panicked. She spun around with speed rivaled only by Gai, and whispered in a hushed and terrified voice, "Quick! Hide the boards!"

Yamato nodded in understanding and equal worry. While Hiashi was looking away, he made a few hand-signs under the counter, and suddenly the chalkboards which displayed the bets the shinobi had been making on the unexpected customer's daughter seemed to sink into the shifting wooden walls. Where there were once chalkboards, there was now bare wall.

The ever stoic clan head walked up and took a seat beside the Hokage. "Hiashi-sama, what brings you here?" Tsunade attempted to ask casually, though it came out sounding nervous as hell. The blonde kunoichi flashed a shaky fake smile to the Hyuuga head.

Hiashi's emotionless face was unchanging like stone. "I could ask you the same thing," he said in his usual monotone, though it was clear the man was not pleased with the fact that their Hokage spent so much time drinking in bars, "but if you must know, I have been hearing word that certain rumors have been spreading about none other than my eldest daughter." Every other ninja in the bar began to sweat, holding their breath in fear of being found out and what the Hyuuga's response would be to what they were doing. "My sources have informed me that most of these rumors seem to have originated from this very establishment," Hiashi said as stoically as ever, glancing around the building at the paling shinobi who did not dare meet his gaze. "And what is more, is that I have been told that the people spreading these rumors have been illegally gambling on the outcomes of my daughter's most recent actions."

It was always tough to tell just how angry the Hyuuga head was, as the proper clansman was trained to hide such emotions from others. His calm voice and empty Hyuuga eyes gave away nothing, but everyone in the bar knew that it was all over. As Hiashi reached into his robes for what everyone could only guess was either a request to have the Hidden Horizon shut down or his sword, the clan leader spoke up again.

"So what I came here to say is – I'd like to put 12,000 ryo on five more weeks." Every single shinobi in the bar released the breath they were holding and blinked in unison. Many believed they had heard wrong, but were confirmed when the Hyuuga finished pulling his wallet out of his robe and began counting his money. After placing the ryo on the counter in front of the bookkeeper/Hokage, he looked up towards where the chalkboards were hidden behind the tavern walls. While everyone still stared in quiet bewilderment, Hiashi activated his byakugan, and his face contorted to show a little bit of disgust. "And I am **sure** my daughter will have the decency to not… _have relations_ in public. I'll bet 25,000 on private," the wealthy clan leader said as he pulled another stack of bills out of his wallet.

The patrons of the bar, still confused by this turn of events, gave in to their curiosity and began seeking the answers to their questions. "Uh… Hiashi-sama, you **do** know what you are betting on, right?" a curious Tsunade asked.

The Hyuuga looked back to her as he deactivated his doujutsu, his face as serious as ever. "Yes, I am well aware of my daughter's attempts at courting the young Uzumaki."

"Courting? The only thing she's trying to court is his wang into her snatch," the ever blunt Anko blurted out, earning stares from the other gamblers, who all wondered why she wanted to die so badly. The jonin kunoichi flinched as the clan leader turned to give her a menacing sneer. Satisfied with the amount of fear instilled in the usually tough shinobi for speaking of his daughter in such an indecent manner, he turned back to Tsunade.

He closed his eyes in mild annoyance, refusing to look at the others as he addressed the last statement. After a small sigh, he said, "I know of the… _more extreme_ methods Hinata has been taking to woo the boy. Alas, from what I have heard the boy is incredibly oblivious when it comes to the matter of romance, so I suppose such measures would be made necessary. Though I would greatly appreciate it if you would not feel the need to constantly remind me, especially not in such blunt terms." The last part of his response came out somewhat threateningly, which had Anko visibly shaking.

"…And you're okay with this?" a baffled Kurenai cautiously prodded.

Another sigh escaped from the Hyuuga head. "Though I may not fully agree with the attitudes this generation holds towards such… _activities_, I understand the way it is to be at that age, I was young once too. Especially being a shinobi, I would rather my daughter seek her own happiness before it is too late than have any regrets."

Kurenai gave a soft smile towards the clan head. She was happy to see the change in the uncaring, judgemental Hiashi she had known when she had taken on his daughter as her student. Things in the Hyuuga household seemed to be changing for the better.

"…And you're fine with Hinata wanting to be with Naruto?" Iruka inquired.

"Of course. The boy has proven to be a fine shinobi of good potential on many occasions, has become the personal apprentice one of the sennin themselves, and I hold no grudges over the burden he carries. And don't think that I have been completely blind to my daughter's emotions all this time. While I may not have been the most supportive father in her earlier years, I was still able to see that Hinata has been holding the affections for the Uzumaki boy for a long time now; I would have to be utterly heartless to make the two separate," Hiashi replied, gaining the respect of Iruka, Tsunade, and Kakashi. "Plus, from what I've heard about the two so far, I'm fairly certain I would not have to worry about the boy taking advantage of my daughter in any way."

After a short pause due to all the others being shocked at the stoic Hyuuga leader cracking a joke, the room burst into an uproar of laughter. True, any other boy who had a girl coming onto him like this most likely would have dragged her to the nearest area with four walls and ripped both of their clothes off in a heartbeat, but not Naruto. If anything, most people were worried of Naruto waking up one day tied to a love-hotel bed naked. Unless you were one the many shinobi betting on that.

After the laughter died, Yamato began to once again reveal the chalkboards, and Tsunade turned back to Hiashi to ask the man one final question. "So, this means you're not going to be interfering in Hinata's future relationship with Naruto?" the Hokage stared into Hiashi's byakugan eyes seriously, intently awaiting an answer.

Hiashi raised a brow curiously. He thought he had already made that clear. "No, of course not."

All of a sudden, after erasing their initial confusion about the man's previous actions, the shinobi suddenly came to realization. More than half of the bar let out a long, upset groan. Now Hiashi was confused. Were they all… **disappointed** by his answer?

Tsunade merely grew a triumphant grin. "Hey, Shin!" she called to the bartender, "You can erase that board now!" The bartender nodded, grabbing a rag and walking in the direction the Hokage was pointing.

Hiashi turned to look towards the board she was pointing at to find out the reason for the sudden fuss. His pupiless eyes fell upon a board with his name written at the top, and judging by the fact that half of the possible bets underneath were methods killing or maiming a person, Hiashi deduced that they were gambling on his reaction to finding out about his daughter and the jinchuuriki's relationship. From the sounds of it, a lot of people had just lost their money because of his response.

The Hyuuga head read through some of the list before the chalk was wiped away. _'Shotgun wedding… death by family sword… heart attack… castration – 3 to 1 odds... disowning my own daughter? What kind of cold bastard do these people think I am?' _

Hiashi was broken out of his thoughts when an ANBU member suddenly appeared on top of the counter, kneeling in front of the Hokage. The entire room went silent and everyone seemed to gather around the ninja, giddy to hear the latest antics of Konoha's most entertaining pair.

"Hokage-sama," the ANBU wearing a boar mask started, struggling to get his words out. Despite his concealed face, it was fairly easy to tell that he was fighting a fit of giggles. This made the shinobi in the bar even more anxious to hear the new developments between Naruto and Hinata.

"Spit it out already, I gotta hear this!" Tsunade snapped at the ANBU operative, losing her patience.

The masked man quickly composed himself and resumed. "Sorry Hokage-sama, but you're going to like this one. It appears that Hinata Hyuuga is currently outside of Naruto Uzumaki's apartment, and… let's just say – she has her byakugan active and one hand down her pants." The ANBU member could not help but giggle some more, though the other shinobi were all biting their tongues, hoping there would be more to the story.

"Wow, did not expect that from shy little Hinata! I wonder what Naruto's doing that's got her so fired up right now. Is he showering or something?" Tsunade fought back a fit of giggles to ask.

"Actually, I've been told Uzumaki is in a very similar situation, only with a… rather _revealing_ picture that Hinata slipped him earlier today." The ANBU abandoned hope of reporting the rest of the events of the day as he fell into the contagious laughter that now dominated the room.

"Oh Kami, the irony!" Tsunade bellowed inbetween laughs, tears falling from her eyes. As the customers of the bar all buckled over in laughter, some shinobi who had this week in the pool crossed their fingers in hopes that tonight would be the night one of them made their move, while those who didn't prayed for them to hold out a bit longer. Some people were trying desperately to stave off their amusement to ask for the details on how exactly Naruto came to possess said picture, while others did not care.

"Oh man, reminds me of my wife. She used to give me little _incentives_ just like that to help me get through the tough missions," Inoichi reminisced.

"Yeah, same. I always told my wife it was way too troublesome being apart for so long," the Nara added. "What about you Choza, your lady ever do anything like that for you?"

"No, she just used to bake me an 'I'll miss you' cake." The other two members of the older generation Ino-Shika-Cho trio renewed their laughter after that comment. _'Should've expected that from an Akamichi'_ they both mused.

Out of the entire bar of hysterical shinobi, the loudest were Izumo and Kotetsu, currently cheering over the rest of the group and high-fiving each other. "I told you Kotetsu, the byakugan is the **ultimate** pervy jutsu!"

"Yeah, you were right man, I owe you one! Next round's on me buddy!"

"Yo, Tsunade!" Izumo called to the Hokage, "You heard the man, she was peeping with her byakugan! Now pay up!"

Tsunade could not even bring herself to frown at the loss of money at the moment, as she found the situation too funny to stop laughing. She opened up a box filled with ryo, and read from the paper laid on top. After confirming their bet and the amount, she double-checked the odds, did a little math, and passed a hefty wad of ryo to the two chuunin.

Kotetsu took the money from her and began counting it in his hands. He let out a low whistle in awe of the amount they had just won. "Wow, this totally makes up for the money we lost betting Hiashi would chop the kid's balls off; three to one odds my ass! In fact, we're actually up 2000 ryo!" Kotetsu exclaimed, high-fiving his long-time partner again before pocketing the cash and buying the two of them another round of sake.

Sick of hearing so many people talking about his daughter in such a lewd scenario, a forgotten Hiashi Hyuuga got up and reluctantly left the bar after conceding that even he could not kick the asses of so many shinobi at once. _'I cannot control what she does with Uzumaki-san behind closed doors, but I will not let her become a public spectacle this way! I believe it is too late for her to be out, it is time I retrieve her and bring her back to the compound for the night... And by that, I mean go tell Neji to retrieve her for the night.'_

* * *

**A/N: So how did you enjoy? I gave you all the characters you know and love: Tsunade, Iruka, Anko, Izumo and Kotetsu (even their names are inseparable), Sasuke, Ino-Shika-Cho (1****st**** gen), Orichimaru, Kabuto, and many more characters who have already appeared in this fic, and even an OC clan! (Which… does pretty much nothing but tend a bar in my fic) What more could you want? Oh, some NaruHina action you say? Well wait no longer! …Actually, wait a little longer, cause next chapter, there's gonna be a little lime in your coke! (Not sure why I just pulled that reference… But what I am trying to say is that there will be a lime. Those of you who read the top A/N may be able to guess what is going to happen. ;) )**

**Hope you liked this omake, filled with gambling, light Sakura bashing, old references supporting NaruSasu, and an eerily ok-with-all-of-this Hiashi. How was it? Lemme know! **

**FOLLOW/FAVE/REVIEW!**


	8. Chapter 6: The Switch

**A/N: Chapter 6 is up! Unfortunately, I regret to inform you I have some bad news. The fabled upcoming lime which was supposed to be in this chapter will be slightly delayed. I apologise, I swear it wasn't my fault! Well, **_**technically**_** it was cuz I write this fic, but I had every intention of including the scene in this chapter! You see, the problem is, somewhere along the line, this chapter ended up being MASSIVE. Like, it's nearly twice as long as usual, and I haven't even gotten to the lime yet! Rather than upload a chapter roughly three times longer than the rest, I decided to break it up into pieces for consistency's sake. This is the first part of the chapter, and the lime will be in one of the next two, depending on the final length of it all. As said, I have already written much more of what will be the next chapter(s), so I should be able to upload soon! I just wanted to get this part out after making the decision, rather than keep you guys waiting longer and releasing all the chapters at once.**

**To make it up to you guys, I've been thinking about adding another little bonus omake, a lemon telling the story of Tenten and Neji the night of the sleepover. If you're interested, or if you just want me to stick with the NaruHina stuff, let me know in the reviews!**

**Thank you for your patience, now enjoy the chapter!**

**(P.S. I'm not sure if no one guessed what I based the name of the bar and clan in the last chapter off of because no one knew, or if no one cared. (Last time I try to interact with my audience, hmph) Either way I might as well say it, if for nothing else for my own sanity. The name of the bar, 'Hidden Horizon,' was inspired by my favourite Japanese band(s) Sound Horizon &amp; Linked Horizon, both led by Revo (name of the clan). If you haven't heard of them, check them out, they're pretty awesome. Linked Horizon is the band that made the theme songs for Attack on Titan (Guren No Yumiya = best theme song EVER)**

**Sorry for the long intro, I tend to ramble, I'll try to shorten them in the future. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I also know jack-shit about my relationships. NEVER TAKE MY RELATIONSHIP ADVICE. All relationship advice in this fic is totally pulled out of my ass, and I hold no responsibility for any relationships harmed or killed following it. **

"Speech"

'_Thoughts'_

'_**Kyuubi Thoughts'**_/**"Kyuubi Speech in Mindscape"**

* * *

Hinata was walking down the streets of Konoha one bright morning. It was a beautiful day; it was rather warm and there was a soothing breeze. The clear skies and chirping birds had everyone at ease.

Everyone except Hinata Hyuuga. Today was the most nervous the heiress had been in weeks. As she cruised through the village roads, Hinata was unable to focus on anything except for what she was about to do. Fortunately, the route she was taking had become so familiar to her over the past days that her feet seemed to subconsciously navigate it, otherwise she surely would have gotten lost in her daze of uncertainty.

The reason the blue-haired heroine is nothing but a bundle of nerves this fine day is because she is preparing to make a very bold move on her oblivious love-interest. Granted, her past attempts at capturing her crush's gaze – and unmentionable body parts – were not exactly subtle, though they still did not yield any results. Hinata had tried time and again, casting aside her inhibitions as best she could, just to get her orange-clad love to notice her. She had bought more revealing clothes, she had tried flirting, she had shown up in his apartment half-naked for Kami's sake, all to no avail. No, she would have to resort to more drastic measures in order to get through to this particularly thick knucklehead; Ino had made that quite clear.

* * *

**Flashback**

"And you're telling me he didn't try **anything**?!" Ino half-questioned, half-shouted in shock. Hinata had come to her and Tenten to talk about her previous failed seduction of her crush. The three sat at their favourite café, each taking bites of their meals when one of the others spoke.

"No," a disappointed Hinata replied.

"Are you serious?! He didn't make a move? Sneak a peek? Steal a kiss? Ask you out? **Nothing**?!" the rambunctious kunoichi asked in disbelief. The heiress in front of her merely shook her head. "No way! I was sure that would work! Hell, if I were him, I would've just run in there and humped you so hard you would've coughed out your uterus!"

Tenten and Hinata both sweat-dropped at the rather graphic declaration. "Um… thanks…" Hinata responded awkwardly.

"Don't worry Hinata, you'll get Naruto sooner or later. He's gonna realize what an amazing catch you are eventually," Tenten said in hopes of raising the pupiless kunoichi's spirits.

"What did you do to er… _attract_ Neji during Naruto-kun's sleepover?" Hinata asked, looking to get some ideas.

"To be honest, Hinata… I didn't really do anything. A while after we started dancing, he just grabbed my hand and practically dragged me over to the bathroom." The other two kunoichi looked a bit disbelieving; neither of the two could picture the prim and proper Neji Hyuuga being the one to make a move like **that**. Picking up on what the other two were thinking, the weapon mistress spoke again. "It was probably just the sake though. He had quite a bit to drink beforehand." And with this reminder, the world made sense again.

"You know who you should ask?" the excitable ninja said rhetorically. "Kurenai! I heard she was going out with our sensei, and you know how Asuma is; he's practically as lazy as Shika! Kurenai must've done something pretty big to get **him** off his ass!" Ino stated, looking proud of herself for the idea.

However, Hinata's face just drooped. "I already have. She said Asuma was the one who asked her out, completely out of the blue."

"Damn. Well don't bother asking me; I've already given you pretty much my whole playbook," the mind-walker discouraged.

Hinata was beginning to feel hopeless now. She had tried everything and then some, but simply could not get Naruto interested in her. Why was this so difficult for her, when everyone else barely had to try to get their boyfriends? "Perhaps it just was not meant to be," Hinata said in a grim monotone more befitting on her cousin, her eyes downcast. "Maybe Naruto-kun will just never return my feelings."

"Don't say that!" Tenten argued. "He'll come around, we just gotta find out how to break through that thick skull of his."

The Hyuuga heiress did not seem reassured by her friend's words. "What is there that I have not tried yet? He'll never see me as anything but a friend."

At that moment, a light bulb went off in Ino's head. Her head shot back to her depressed friend. "Wait, I think I might know the problem is!" she blurted. Hinata, who had given her full attention to this new hope, looked up expectantly, holding back the tears which were previously threatening to fall. "Tell me, when you've caught Naruto checking you out before, did he ever look… like he was feeling hesitant, or guilty or anything?" Ino asked urgently, leaning over the table to decrease the distance between her and Hinata.

Hinata leaned back a bit, becoming nervous as the intense blonde began invading her personal space. The heiress thought back hard, trying to recall the looks she would receive from her crush whenever she would model revealing clothing for him, or show up half-naked in his apartment. She made two realizations: the first was that she had done the latter far too many times lately to **not** get some, and the second was that Ino's description was true. The last time she had taken Naruto shopping, his look when he was inspecting her newest outfit matched exactly what Ino had said. He seemed as if he were feeling guilty of something every time his gaze lingered on a certain body part a bit too long. He seemed nearly terrified whenever he realized that she had noticed too. The time him and Sakura had found her in her underwear on Naruto's bed, the blonde had seemed as if he was fighting to look away, and before the door between them had closed fully, she could have sworn the his expression made him appear to be… ashamed? Self-loathing? Remorseful? It was tough to identify, probably because she had been not used to seeing such a look on the teen.

"Yes," Hinata replied, curious where Ino was going with this.

Ino snapped while wearing a smug grin, proud for having figured out why Konoha's knuckleheaded ninja had not made his move on his desperate admirer. "I think I know why Naruto hasn't tried anything yet. It's because he doesn't want to risk your friendship. He probably feels like having other sorts of feelings for you is wrong, and probably feels like he is betraying your trust or something when he pervs out on you. Yep, I've seen this happen before."

"So… she's getting friendzoned?" the ever straight-forward Tenten asked.

Ino gave an annoyed sigh. "Well, I _**guess**_ you could say that, if you want to simplify it…" The Yamanaka obviously was not pleased with her assessment being dumbed down. "But it really is more complicated than that; Naruto didn't put you in the friendzone because he doesn't like you like that – hell, for all I know, he might want you just as much as you want him. He's probably just doing it because he doesn't feel like he's good enough for you, or he's scared of rejection."

'_Naruto-kun… afraid of __**me**__ rejecting __**him**__?' _Hinata could not believe this ironic notion. While the lavender-eyed teen doubted her friend's psychiatric abilities, she was usually right when it came to relationships. But wait – what about his pink-haired teammate, Sakura? "If that's true, then why did he always ask out Sakura?" Hinata asked her blonde matchmaker. Tenten seemed to see the heiress' point, and both looked to Ino for an explanation to this flaw in her reasoning.

Ino began to respond without hesitation. "Come on Hinata, think back to our old academy days. Did you ever really see the two of them talk much? They didn't really become close until after they were put on the same genin squad, and by then Naruto had already made asking her out a habit."

Tenten, who was not in their class due to being a year older, looked to Hinata for confirmation. She could tell by the look of realization on the kunoichi's face that it was true. Ino was right, Naruto and Sakura had not hung out in the academy. In retrospect, Naruto never really hung out with anybody, a saddening thought which Hinata tried to suppress. The first time the two ninjas in training had actually talked, it had in fact been a request for a date, which Sakura had (violently) rejected. The two must not have become friends until far later, and it seemed their friendship had won out over Naruto's crush, as the two were closer than ever and the previously infatuated boy had not asked the pinkette out in ages.

With no more inconsistencies in Ino's theory, Hinata began to believe this could truly be the cause of Naruto's lack of – or rather, suppression of his interest in her. Whatever the reason, the only thing the heiress cared about at the moment was what course of action she should take to make the whiskered boy hers. "So what can I do?"

"Well, the easiest way would be to just tell him how you feel, so he knows that you want a more serious relationship too." Hinata slowly hung her head at this response. _'Of course… the one thing I can't do…'_ she thought to herself, sulking. Ino and Tenten offered sympathetic looks. The blonde knew she would get this kind of reaction, and it saddened her to see her friend this depressed. It really was the only method she knew to overcome this obstacle though.

"I've tried," the downtrodden kunochi mumbled, "but every time I do, I just cannot get the words to come out." She looked up again, her eyes shining with the tiniest sliver of hope and optimism left. "Isn't there anything else I can do?" she asked in a final, desperate plea for a solution.

Ino saw how much this meant to her Hyuuga friend, so she put her complete brainpower to use. The ponytailed kunoichi put her finger to her chin and thought deeply for an alternative. Tenten, unsure of what to say, just sat there and watched the relationship specialist think, as did Hinata.

Ino lowered her finger and looked directly into Hinata's large, pupiless eyes. The byakugan wielder became more worried than ever before. _'Please, please tell me you came up with something…'_ Hinata's spirits rose as the mind-walker grew a small grin, which she mirrored. There was mischief painted across Ino's grin, but Hinata did not care. She had long since proved that she would do next to anything to attain her dream of being with Naruto. "Well, there's one thing I can think of that might work." The heiress was on the edge of her seat with impatience. "We've just got to get him to see you as a woman, rather than just another friend, in an atmosphere free of judgement and guilt. We've got to make him want you 'til he can't fight his feelings anymore and just accepts them."

"Just tell me what to do!" Hinata blurted, losing her patience for all of her friend's vague answers.

"Alright, alright, I was just about to get to that! Here's my idea…"

* * *

**Back in the Present**

As Hinata neared her destination, she tried to dispel all of her doubts before she arrived. If she was going to do this, she would need to have confidence. Ino's plan would do no good if she could not bring herself to go through with it.

However, there was one hitch. While the Hyuuga kunoichi did not doubt her friend's plan, she had no idea how to execute it. When she came face-to-face with her target, how would she go about the switch? In order for the plan to work, Hinata was going to have to switch her and Naruto's weapon pouches. Naruto was a ninja! Surely even he would notice if someone were to take off his pouch and put one back on!

Hinata silently admonished herself for thinking in such away, and cast this doubt aside with the rest. Naruto would never let a blatant lack of foresight discourage him! If he did, he would not be the only ninja to wear bright orange clothes exclusively! No, Naruto would figure out a way to make it work!

As her silent pep-talk ended, Hinata arrived at the training ground she had been walking to. Over the past week, Kakashi and Yamato had been training Naruto to use his chakra nature. When the byakugan-eyed teen heard of his specialized training, she had wanted to see what new tricks her crush would be learning. The last thing she had expected to see when she came to the training ground the next day was at least thirty, very shirtless, **very **sexy, Naruto's standing in front of a waterfall. By the time she had been able to take in the sight of the man who haunted her wet dreams, who stood bearing his glistening wet upper body, muscles flexing, blonde locks matted down from the water, his soaked pants clinging to his lower body, **TIMES THIRTY**… Well, let's just say she woke up in the Konoha hospital, being treated for blood loss.

The day after that, she came again, this time prepared, as she had plugged up her nose to prevent any more trips to the hospital. Hinata had borrowed the special nose plugs Kiba had gotten after his fight with Naruto in the chuunin exams, so she knew they must be completely airtight if they could block out an Inuzuka's sense of smell. Fortunately, the design somehow prevented them from making her voice nasally. She was not the only spectator, however, because Naruto's teammates Sakura and Sai had come also. They all marveled at the dedication it must have taken to put forth such effort into his training regimen.

Before Sakura and Sai left, Sakura left a basket of what looked like giant rabbit turds. Apparently they were homemade food pills. Hinata knew that the medic nin could cook about as well as Sai could socialize, and dreaded that she was making the only thing her wet love would have to eat during his training sessions. So the sympathetic girl decided to do her crush a favour, and left for Ichiraku's, bringing back a fresh bowl of Naruto's favourite ramen. When he caught the scent, he immediately took a lunch break. Hinata was rewarded for her good deed by getting to sit down to a nice picnic lunch with the wet, half-naked Adonis while they talked about… something. In fact, Naruto had been so grateful that he had offered her an open invitation to come anytime, and had gifted her with the most arousing hug of her life. Her lower body now knew how that waterfall felt.

Of course the lavender-eyed shinobi took him up on the offer, and every day since then had come at lunch with two bowls of steaming ramen – _and_ a lawn chair and enough lemonade to last the training session – you know, so she could stick around and… _support_ him. It was fairly easy to fit into her schedule, as her team usually finished training rather early, while the infamously late Kakashi always started Naruto's later in the day. For the next few days the two would eat together after her arrival, and after Naruto went back to his training his admirer would set up her chair under the shade of the tree and _support_ him. As she lied down, her unwavering gaze fixated on her crush – er, _crushes_, she would receive an unexpected urge. _'Hmm… Perhaps I should write a book. I wonder who Jiraiya-sama's publisher is…'_

Today, just like any other day, the Hyuuga heiress walked onto the training ground with her bowls of Ichiraku takeout. The field looked the same today as the previous, except far less… _erotic_. Where was Naruto?

"Excuse me, Kakashi-sensei?" Hinata politely asked the copycat ninja, "Where is Naruto-kun?"

"Oh, well he finished the second stage of his training, so I let him take a break to rest up before the next. He went into the forest there if you want to look for him, I know he'd hate it if his ramen went cold," the cyclops responded, pointing to a wooded area.

'_Wait, does that mean… No more sexy waterfall training?! Noooooo!'_ the crestfallen girl mentally cried out. Attempting to stay optimistic, she quietly prayed that the next stage of his training would somehow involve him being oiled-up and wrestling with his clones.

Before the disheartened teen let her thoughts become too depraved, she reminded herself that she was there with a purpose, and headed in the direction Kakashi had pointed in search of the absent Uzumaki.

After a good five minutes of roaming through the forest, she came upon a river. It was wide and the water was calm. What caught Hinata's eye though were the clothes sloppily discarded by the water's edge. As soon as the heiress saw the orange, she knew who these clothes belonged to.

Her crush must have gone for a relaxing swim in the river, how convenient! This would make switching their weapon pouches easy! As the Hyuuga activated her byakugan to quickly search the nearby area, she realised how foolish she was to have doubted herself before. Deactivating her bloodline trait after deeming the area clear, Hinata scurried quickly to the pile of clothing. She picked Naruto's pouch out of the pile, replacing it with her own. _'Done! That was too easy! Now I guess I'll just…'_ Before Hinata could finish her thought about looking for Naruto, she came to a glorious realization.

'_Naruto-kun's clothes are here.'_

'_**All**__ of Naruto-kun's clothes are here.'_

'_All of Naruto-kun's clothes are here, and he is not in them.'_

'_Right now, Naruto-kun is somewhere in this river, __**completely naked**__.'_

You know what's nicer than having a picnic lunch with a half-naked Naruto? Having a picnic lunch with a **fully **naked Naruto. Perhaps if she gave away her own bowl, Hinata could even earn another hug?

Acting on pure hormonal impulse, Hinata swiftly snatched the whiskered shinobi's discarded outfit and leaped a short distance away from the river. The lavender-eyed kunoichi ditched the unnecessary garments behind a tree before returning to the body of water.

As if on cue, Hinata saw a fast-moving object down the stream approaching her location. As it came nearer, it was easy to tell that it was in fact Naruto. Once the boy was able to identify the person standing beside the river, he hastened his pace to close the remaining distance between them.

"Ohayo, Hinata-chan!" he called merrily. As he reached the edge of the river, he propped his arms on the ground by the water's edge, beaming at his lunch companion. "Is it lunch already? Sorry, I lost track of time, heheh," the naked shinobi said sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it Naruto-kun," Hinata responded just as happily. She raised the ramen bowls in her arms for the blonde to see. "I brought you miso this time."

"Awesome, you're the best Hinata-chan!" The heiress greatly enjoyed the _chan_ suffix her crush had started adding to her name; it made her feel closer to the boy, and she could not help but smile when she heard it. "Uh, Hinata-chan? You wouldn't have happened to see my clothes around, have you?" the wet teen asked, looking further down the river.

Hinata put every ounce of acting ability into her words as she tried to sound as innocent as possible. "No, I am afraid I have not. Did you lose them?"

Naruto scratched his head in confusion. "I was sure I left them right here! They should be here, unless… Someone took them…" Hinata began to sweat at this, afraid that her crush had figured out her perverted game. The knuckleheaded ninja had a pointed, thoughtful looked for a few seconds, before blurting out, "Yamato! That bastard must be getting back at me for tiring him out so much with all my training!"

Hinata felt relieved to have a scapegoat. "Well I'll show him what happens when you mess with the leaf village's number one prankster!"

"You can get your revenge on Yamato-sensei later, why don't we eat our ramen before it gets cold?" the byakugan wielder interrupted the boy's rant to suggest. It took all of Hinata's willpower to resist the devious grin pulling at her lips.

"Sounds good, pass me mine," the blonde said with outstretched hands.

"Oh no you don't," the heiress said playfully, "You can't eat you ramen in the river! You don't want to spill it, or get it covered in river water!" Hinata finished with a giggle. She walked a few feet away from where Naruto was treading water and sat down, patting the grass beside her. "Come out so you can have your ramen," she beckoned to him.

Naruto did not leave his spot, but instead just painted his cheeks red with a heavy blush. "Uh… I can't, you see, I sorta… I sorta got nothing' on right now, heheh…" he responded, embarrassed.

"Really? Oh, that's too bad. Well, no point wasting perfectly good food. I guess I will have to have your ramen too," the sly kunoichi teased, picking up her chopsticks and taking the cover off the first bowl. She attempted to keep herself composed, but was inwardly jumping up and down like a giddy child at the possibility of getting her first non-byakugan peek at what the orange-clad shinobi hid beneath all that orange. Byakugan vision really was not all it was cracked up to be when it came to peeping, and left a lot to be desired.

As expected, this got to Naruto. If there was one thing the boy could not refuse, it was ramen. The embarrassed ninja went over his options, before being struck by a stroke of genius. Smirking proudly at his cleverness and creativity, the jinchuuriki suddenly formed a handseal. Hinata was confused by this, wondering what the blonde could be up to before he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. When the cloud cleared, before her stood – a fully clothed Naruto?

"Oh man, I swear the transformation jutsu is the most underated technique ever!" the blonde exclaimed. That was when Hinata realized what had happened. Apparently Naruto had just henged into a dressed version of himself. _'Kuso! Thwarted by an academy level jutsu.'_ The Hyuuga girl inwardly cursed her crush's inventiveness. It was one of the things she had always admired about him, but at the same time it could be a pain in the ass when used against you.

Despite the disappointing amount of clothes, the lunch was enjoyable as usual. Without the welcome distraction, Hinata was actually able to contribute to their conversations this time around. They spent the next half hour eating and laughing. The blonde really did have a delightful sense of humor, and Naruto thought the same of Hinata when she managed to speak up. Their time together came to an end too soon for the content Hyuuga when the boy accompanying her got up to go and find out what the next stage of his training would be.

Hinata made up an excuse for why she would not be able to watch the rest of his training session. The anticipation of the results of Ino's plans were starting to build up inside of her, along with some remnants of self-doubt, so she decided it best to give herself some space from her crush for now. _'…Wait! The pouch!' _Hinata suddenly realized, having completely forgotten the mission she had come here with today. If Naruto left without his pouch then her work would all have been for naught, and Hinata doubted she would get as good an opportunity for the switch next time.

As the forgetful jinchuuriki walked towards the training ground, Hinata cleared her throat loud enough to catch his attention, causing him to turn back to look to the girl behind him. "Aren't you forgetting something, Naruto-kun?" Hinata reminded Naruto. He looked confused for a second, before coming to the realization his friend was hinting at.

"Oh yeah! I forgot, I'm still technically naked right now, aren't I?" Naruto half-asked with a slight blush. Hinata merely nodded in response. "Think you could help me find where Yamato hid my clothes?" The girl in question happily agreed. After a few minutes of _searching_ for the missing outfit, Hinata _found_ it hidden behind a nearby tree. Naruto thanked her and awkwardly forced it on overtop of his pseudo-clothes.

"Thanks a bunch, it would've been really embarrassing if the jutsu just ended after the training started tiring me out. Boy would Kakashi and Yamato've been in for an eyeful!" The blonde chuckled at the thought as he dispelled the henge, releasing the strain on his clothes as the second layer underneath vanished.

Now that she had thought about it, Hinata was beginning to regret her decision. _'Damn my memory. I definitely would have stuck around to see that.'_ With the thought of tens of Naruto's standing in front of her as their clothes literally poofed out of existence in her head, Hinata departed, heading directly to her room and locking the door.

* * *

**In Hiashi's Study**

"You summoned me, Hiashi-sama?" Neji said as he entered the study, closing the door behind him. In front of him sat his uncle, his stone face bearing the same serious expression as always.

"Yes, please sit," Hiashi responded. He gestured to the seat in front of himself, which was promptly occupied by his obedient nephew.

"What is it you wish to speak of uncle," Neji reverently asked in his usual monotone.

"I have a small errand for you. You see, I-"

"Oooooohhhh" The sound was muffled by the walls, obviously distant, but nonetheless sufficient enough to derail Hiashi's train of thought.

"What is the errand?" the branch member asked his clan leader, ignoring the previous noise.

"Well, I plan to bo-"

"Ooooooo, yes…" This time the sound was louder, and once again created an awkward pause in the two Hyuugas' conversation.

"Ahem," Hiashi cleared his throat, acting like the awkward silence had not existed. "I plan to borrow some cla-"

"Yes, ooohhhh, yes!" The voice was slowly increasing in volume.

"I apologise, sir, but I did not catch that."

"Yes. I plan to borrow some clan fu-"

"More! Please, more!"

"-borrow some clan fu-" By this point, Hiashi had decided to just power through the disturbances.

"Soooo good!"

"-BORROW SOME CLAN FUNDS TO MA-"

"Oh, oh, oh Kami-sama!"

At this point Hiashi was raising his voice to speak over the noises, which were now ringing clearly through the walls. The voice was loud enough to be identified, though the two Hyuuga's did not need to listen to know who the voice belonged to. They were all too accustomed to the occasional disturbance.

"-TO MAKE AN IN-"

"Ooooohhhhh YES!"

"-AN INVEST-"

"ALMOST THERE!"

"-INVESTMENT, AND I-"

"KAMI, YESSSS!"

Both Neji and Hiashi, with the exception of the clan leader's shouts, were doing well in masking their frustration with the distant cries of female ecstasy. Despite their best efforts to hide their awareness of them, the thoughts of the two Hyuuga's were completely preoccupied by the noises.

'_She is your cousin. She is your cousin. SHE IS YOUR __**COUSIN**__.'_ Neji frantically chanted in his mind, fighting off the urges he knew he should not be having towards a family member. However, it was impossible to simply ignore the wails projecting through the paper-thin walls of the Hyuuga compound. _'Just… Just imagine it's Tenten…. Bad idea, __**BAD IDEA!**__'_ The branch member rued his poor decision, feeling his thoughts were progressively becoming more wrong. While he held back his growing arousal, unbeknownst to him his uncle was fighting a similar mental battle.

'_Wow… She really is the spitting image of Hitomi… She even sounds like her mother, when she – Bad thought Bad thought BAD THOUGHT __**BAD THOUGHT! ! !**__'_

"-AND I WANT YOU T-"

"OHHH FUCK! OHHHHHH"

"-TO TELL AKIRA TO HAVE HINATA'S ROOM SOUNDPROOFED **TODAY! ! !**"Hiashi shouted with haste before his words were once again drowned out, abandoning his original agenda. This issue was **far** more pressing anyways. Plus it would give the clan leader more time to come up with a way of rationalizing to the Hyuuga accountants his reasons for _investing_ such a big portion of clan funds gambling in a bar. If they were to ask what it was he was betti – er, _investing_ in, they would be even less pleased. Knowing the accountants would definitely be giving him a furious headache over the matter, Hiashi was tempted to just keep quiet until he got his payout and let his winnings speak for him.

All too glad to have permission to finally get as far away as possible, Neji gave a swift nod to his uncle and bolted towards the branch house to find the aforementioned Hyuuga. Hiashi followed suit just as hurriedly, heading to the gardens to calm down through meditation.

* * *

**In Hinata's Room**

The heavily breathing heiress fixed her clothes and wiped the sweat off her brow so no one would be able to tell what she had just been doing. Unfortunately Hinata, who always lost herself in the heat of things when pleasuring herself, was still bafflingly unaware of just how loud she gets during her ministrations.

Hinata was glad to have never been caught in the act before, though this was only because everyone in the house with ears already knew what she was doing, unbeknownst to her. Fortunately, Hinata was blissfully ignorant to the ironic situation, otherwise she most likely would have died of embarrassment. Neither Neji nor Hiashi had ever said anything to the lavender-eyed Hyuuga because they too were too embarrassed to mention it. Hanabi had never said anything to her sister because she was still too young to know what it was she was doing, and Hiashi had made sure she would not be finding out anytime soon. Since Hinata had begun exploring her body, her father had made it **very** clear to her sister that she was not to **ever** disturb her sister when she gets loud, telling her Hinata may be as loud as she wants. He also made it clear **never** to question what her sister was doing during these noisy periods.

It was funny really, how a girl so quiet could become so loud when you least wanted her to, though none of her family members could find the humor in it. Hiashi thought that perhaps since Hanabi was always the louder sister, she would turn out the opposite, though the Hyuuga patriarch was not willing to take that chance. He had withheld all information of sexual nature from her, not even giving her the talk he gave Hinata after her sister became a genin herself. He simply prayed that she would be a late bloomer. A **very** late bloomer. And hey, if the rumors of his eldest daughter attempting to get a boyfriend who could relieve them of hours of awkward, torturing disturbances by… _relieving_ her elsewhere were true, who was he to interfere with this blessing?

The satisfied kunoichi simply basked in the post-orgasmic euphoria, wondering if her crush had gone home yet. Her mind now thinking less dirty thoughts, though of the same person, Hinata felt only anticipation. Despite her resolve not to worry, the heiress still could not resist wondering what Naruto's reaction would be to her friend's plan.

The reason this particular plan was getting Hinata so much more worked up than the others is because she was about to take a very bold chance. Worst of all, she would not even be present to see if it would pay off. For you see, inside the weapon pouch Hinata had switched with Naruto's, in the compartment usually reserved for shuriken, lied a stack of dirty pictures instead. But these were not just any dirty pictures; these were self-photographed dirty pictures of the Hyuuga heiress herself. Ino had even forced her to buy a playnin magazine as a reference, since the reserved girl had refused her friend's offer to take on the role of photographer in preference of a camera with a timer, to ensure she would know how to pose for maximum appeal. Sometime today, Naruto would open his weapon pouch to check on it or refill it and find the collection of photos of Hinata in the skimpiest outfits available – well, in the pictures where she **is** wearing an outfit. That's right. Naruto was about to see **all** of her, in her naked glory. Though she may have come close, her crush had never seen her completely naked, so this would be the first time. As if that was not enough to make the still body-conscious girl nervous beyond compare, she would not even be there to see his reaction.

Sure, while still in the planning stages, Hinata, who tried to remain optimistic, had been tempted to tail the jinchuuriki home to catch the _show_ that was inevitable in the best-case scenario. However, the risk of being caught had discouraged her from doing so. What possible excuse could she give? 'Oh hey, I was just following you home to watch you beat your meat to the pictures I stuck in your kunai pouch.' _Yep, that wouldn't sound creepy at all._

All that was left for Hinata to do was wait and hope Ino was right.

* * *

**A/N: Hope that was worth your while, and I didn't upset you too much by delaying the lime. If you're a true Naruto fan, you should be used to disappointing (INFURIATING) delays, as yet another episode has been delayed this week! I'm pretty sure that's two in a fucking row! One episode EVERY OTHER WEEK is not enough fucking Naruto for me! Aggggghhhhhhh! This is why I like watching animes that have already ended: they don't keep you waiting like this, you can just totally binge out on them.**

**Will Ino's plan to get Naruto and Hinata together work? Will Naruto's wind chakra training involve him getting oiled up and wrestling his clones? Will Hiashi's **_**investments**_** pay off? Will Hanabi be a late bloomer? Will any of my younger audience get this old soap-opera reference? Or this old Family Guy reference? Find out in the next chapter! Pce!**

**FOLLOW/FAVE/REVIEW/FORGIVE ME!**


	9. Chapter 7:Picture Tells a Thousand Words

**A/N: And here it is, the long awaited lime chapter! Grab some popcorn and a bottle of lube, hopefully this is gonna be a good one! Its rather long (Kurama wouldn't shut up), but hopefully not too much! This is my first time writing anything sexual by the way, so I hope its arousing enough, please give me some feedback! Since you guys have been supporting me with all of your appreciated comments over the last few chapters, I decided to respond to a few of your questions and what not again. I can't take up the whole fic answering all of them, so don't feel offended if your's isn't mentioned, I read and appreciate all of them!**

** g: Thank you, mysterious guest, for reviewing so many of my chapters! In response to the upload 3 (chap 2) review, as stated in Chapter 1, Jiraiya uses the enhanced sensory abilities of sage mode to check the town for any and all things perverted, that's how he always just seems to be there. In response to your upload 6 (chap 5) review – I hope you mean what I think you mean, in which case – pics? I hope this chapter puts you into Hinata's position too ;)**

** SilentSambo88: Thank you for pointing that error out! I completely forgot about the Bikochu mission when I was writing that chapt. I honestly liked the filler arc, as a NaruHina fan, and in general it was done pretty well compared to a lot of the other shit-on-a-stick fillers (I lost all repect for Kotetsu after he was nearly killed by an OSTRITCH. Sorry, a NINJA Ostritch). I don't have any plans to reference the episode, so for now we'll just say it didn't happen in this fic's timeline. If for some reason I forget and DO reference it, just assume Hinata forgot or didn't count it cuz it was too dark for Naruto to see anything. If he could actually make out any of the details of her private parts, I'm sure he would have been able to make out her face, or at least her identifiable hairdo. Sorry I posted this before the NejiTen lemon, but as I said, I've never written a sex scene before, so I wanted to practice with this lime and work my way up. I'll post the omake next.**

** ImaSoBored: Denseness is a word, I googled it. I thought it was density, but apparently that isn't the one to use in that context. As for Jiraiya, don't worry, his karmic punishment is coming, just wait. And I love Anko too. :3**

** Bad News: Well, I tried. Didn't expect many people to fall for the troll, but I tried. No troll this time though, so enjoy. (Or is there? ;) )**

**Thank you, and everyone else who reviews! It always brightens up my mood to see someone complimenting my work, or saying that it made their day, or that they got a good laugh, or that they enjoy the characters I add in my recurring gags, and I'm really glad everyone seemed to love my take on Hiashi! Also nice to know there might be naked ladies reading this, this one's for you!**

**Disclaimer: I own none of the things**

"Speech"

'_Thought'_

'_**Kyuubi Thought'**_**/'Kyuubi Private Thought'/"Kyuubi Speech in Mindscape"**

* * *

Later that night, the Hyuuga heiress could be found inside her family's dojo. She had decided to distract herself from her thoughts of Naruto with a bit of light training. Up until now, it had been proving to be an effective strategy. That is, until she received a very sudden reminder, in the form of the boy himself.

"Hinata," the girl's father called to her as he entered the dojo, "there is someone at the door for you."

Hinata was surprised to hear this; it was quite unusual for her to receive visitors this late. It was already dark out, who could possibly be coming to see her? "Who is it father?" Hinata asked.

"Uzumaki Naruto has come to see you," Hiashi responded emotionlessly.

Hinata froze. She had to make a conscious effort to continue to breathe. _'Naruto-kun? __**Here**__? Why would Naruto-kun come here? Looking for __**me**__? Did he already-'_ Hinata's mind was a jumbled mess, trying to decode what she was hearing. Why would Naruto come here at this hour? There was no other plausible explanation; he must have discovered the pictures she had left him. But what did this mean? The fact that he came to see her must be a good sign, right? It's not like he would waste his time coming here just to tell her he **didn't** like the pictures and **wasn't** interested in her, right? Still, Hinata had never imagined that the Yamanaka's plan would turn Naruto around so quickly!

After a couple minutes of silence, Hiashi made to walk back out of the dojo. Before he left, he asked his daughter, "Are you going to go see him, or should I tell him you do not want any company right now?"

"NO!" Hinata cried in panic, snapping out of her trance. "I mean, yes, I will see him now." As she approached the door of the building, Hinata desperately struggled to keep cool and composed. She wiped away the sweat accumulated from her exercise and neatened her slightly mussed hair, wanting to appear as presentable as possible. She arrived at the door, took a deep inhale, and released it as she opened the door.

"Hello, Naruto-kun. What brings you here?" Hinata asked in genuine curiosity. Her suspicions about him having seen the images were confirmed by his face alone. He was flushed, obviously thoroughly flustered over something, and the amount of sweat he was secreting could rival Lee after one of his workouts. Not to mention his nerves were keeping him from making eye contact.

Before the blonde could even answer, Hinata's imagination flooded with possibilities. _'Is he here to ask me out? Will he confess he likes me? Maybe even… loves me? Perhaps the photos were too much for him and he needs me to satisfy the urges I instilled in him? What if he cannot wait any longer, and plans to take me right here, and pound away at my virgin pussy until he is sated? Thank Kami-sama Akira soundproofed my room today for some reason!'_

While Hinata's imagination went in a rather… _Icha Icha-esque _direction, Naruto worked up the courage to speak, his eyes glued to the ground. Before he uttered a word, he outstretched an arm towards the excited kunoichi. In his hand was the weapon pouch which he was uncertain of how he came into possession of. "I, uhh… Think we accidentally mixed up our kunai pouches, or uh, something," he stammered, unsure of how to explain how he had known the pouch belonged to her without admitting to seeing the pictures inside. It's not like ninjas left their names on them; they were all just the same grey leather pouches. Hinata was smart, she was bound to realize it. Naruto had stopped questioning when the two of them could have switched their pouches as he became more focused on escaping the situation before it got awkward, or Hinata got angry at him. _'At least this didn't happen with Sakura,' _he mused. _'She would've hung my nuts in a sack… well, a __**different**__ sack, and used them as a punching bag.'_

Hinata was extremely confused by this. More than that, she was extremely disappointed in this outcome. _'Figures… Does Naruto __**have**__ to be a freaking gentleman all the time? I give him naked pictures of me, and he __**returns**__ them!'_

Not knowing what to do, Hinata took the pouch from his hand. She wanted to refuse it, she wanted to tell him she wanted him to see what was inside, but could not. She suddenly felt small, and felt she had lost most of the nerve she usually possessed around Naruto since he had returned from his training trip.

Before Hinata could retrieve her visitor's own weapon pouch, or even speak another word, the flustered blonde fled to the rooftops of Konoha. The heiress simply stared as he leapt away until he was no longer in view. Shutting the door, she slid to the ground with her back against it, tears leaking from her eyes.

Hinata felt absolutely crushed. Never had she been so let down in her life, to go from being so optimistic and excited to absolutely hopeless. In a way, this was the rejection she had always feared. She had shown him all of her, hoping he would accept her, hoping he would show some interest in her like Ino had promised. Instead, he just returned it; handed it back to her without any care. There was no confession, no asking her out, not even an admitting of any sort of attraction.

Refusing to let anyone else see her so broken, she gathered the strength to run back to her room where she could let all her sorrows out.

* * *

The heartbroken girl was not sure how long she had been sobbing, not that it mattered to her. Nothing did. As the last of her tears fell, Hinata raised her head from her pillow. She was still in emotional turmoil, but for whatever reason – Hinata guessed physical incapability – she had stopped crying.

She looked over to the kunai pouch she had thrown onto her dresser earlier. She stalked towards the dresser slowly and weakly grasped the leather accessory. Inside of this pouch was Hinata's final, desperate, last-ditch effort to attract the boy she had always loved, or at least had for most of her life. Of course, this ended just like everything else she ever did – in failure.

Gaining back a little bit of rational thinking capabilities, the brooding teen opened the pouch and began pulling out picture after picture, preparing to destroy them, lest someone else come in possession of one of them.

She dropped them each on top of the last, and decided it would be best to burn them. When Hinata stuck her hand back into the pouch and searched for the last photo, she found nothing but kunai left inside.

The sad girl was confused. Did she count wrong? She flipped through the pile and recounted. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… … ... No, there was definitely one more. Hinata could even remember which picture it was. She flipped the pouch over and spilled its contents onto her bed. Nothing but kunai. There was a picture missing, of this she was certain. But what happened to it? Did it fall out of the weapon pouch? Or perhaps…

Hinata's eyes, still puffy and red from crying, widened as a glimmer of hope came back to her. She hated herself for getting her hopes up again, but she had to confirm this for her sanity. She wiped the wetness from her face, which was now hardened with resolve. The female Hyuuga stuffed the remaining pictures into the bottom of her underwear drawer hoping no one else would find them there, and leapt out her window. Fortunately her father had gone to a bar earlier, which was unusual for him, but made sneaking out of the compound quite easy for the heiress. Hinata leapt through the village rooftops in a hurry to reach her destination.

* * *

Applying the stealth skills she learned from years as a ninja, Hinata silently dropped onto the balcony of her crush's apartment, ducking below the window before she could possibly be noticed. Peeking her head up, she noticed that the blinds were closed. This was a rare occurrence; Naruto did not often close the blinds. Hinata could only stipulate that, considering other people's tendencies to barge in uninvited on the jinchuuriki, he had done so to retain some privacy. The heiress would not be surprised if the front door had been locked for once too.

This only served to increase Hinata's hopes. She looked down to the streets, which were unsurprisingly dead, not a soul in sight. Turning back, Hinata reluctantly activated her byakugan. She was out of other options, and she refused to leave now before she found out what happened to the final picture.

As her doujutsu flared to life, the wall in front of her disappeared and she was gazing directly into Naruto's room. What she saw inside was none other than Naruto himself, his limbs splayed across his bed, with one arm held in front of his face. In his hand was, as Hinata had hoped, the missing picture. The Hyuuga voyeur covered her mouth as a quiet gasp of shock escaped; in her pessimistic mood she had not expected this would actually be true. The focus of Hinata's 360-degree vision eagerly shifted to a lower part of the boy's anatomy. Much to her glee, Naruto seemed to be reacting to the picture.

It was then that Hinata noticed her own building arousal from peeping on her crush. She could feel her damp panties clinging to her. Her nether regions were begging for attention, just as Naruto's was. What was strange to her was that the aroused teen had not done anything yet; he was merely staring blankly into the picture. Did he not know what he was supposed to do? Because Hinata would have been more than happy to teach him.

As she watched the befuddling blonde, she wondered what it was he was thinking right now as he stared at her naked form.

* * *

**With Naruto**

'_**Hey, kit,'**_ the kyuubi called to his container.

'_What is it now fox,'_ the displeased jinchuuriki replied, obviously not wanting to be bothered at the moment.

'_**Not that I care or anything, but are you gonna… you know, **_**do anything**_**, or are you just gonna keep sitting there? Again, not that I care, but somehow you just staring at that picture is way creepier than what most people would've been doing right now. Heck, I just finished off and you haven't even unzipped those Kami-awful orange pants of yours!'**_ Naruto grunted in disgust of what the fox had implied.

'_For the last fucking time, I told you not to do that inside me!'_ the frustrated boy snapped.

'_**Woah, woah, calm down you prude. Trust me, you should be thanking me. Getting myself off is about the only thing that keeps me sane in here. Without it, I'd probably be about as cranky as you are right now.'**_

'_I'm not cranky!' _Naruto mentally yelled, before forcing himself to tone it down a notch. _'I just… I just don't wanna talk right now.'_

The kyuubi picked up on the conflicted feelings of his host, and disregarded his container's hint for him to shut up. _**'You may not want to, but it sounds like you may **_**need**_** somoene to talk to right now. You're having some weird feelings about the vixen, aren't you kit?'**_ the kyuubi prodded in the closest thing to a caring voice the demon had ever used. For once, the demon was right on the mark with identifying his jinchuuriki's dilemma.

Though he was a bastard fox demon, Naruto figured the kyuubi must have some wisdom in him from his thousands of years of life experiences. Deciding to take a chance, the blonde began to confide in his sealed demon. _'I just… I've been having these strange feelings lately, whenever I hang out with her. But I mean, she's like my __**best**__ friend now, which is actually pretty weird considering she never used to talk to me before I left with ero-sennin. I __**just**__ started becoming close friends with her, and this is __**definitely**__ not something friends do to each other,'_ Naruto explained, referring to his current perverted situation. This was like something Jiraiya would do, and there was a reason his closest friend always yelled at him and beat him up. Then again, the two Sannins' situation was pretty identical to his relationship with Sakura, and they had maintained a good friendship. _'I just… I don't know what to do.'_ Naruto attentively awaited the wise old fox's advice.

'_**Nail her.'**_

'_Nani?!'_ the demon host exclaimed mentally. This was **not** the kind of advice he was hoping for. So much for _with age comes wisdom_.

'_**I said nail her kit. She seems like a good mate for you. Not to mention those have got to be the biggest-'**_

'_Shut it you perverted old fox. I'm sick of hearing this shit. This is wrong; I should've just returned this photo with the rest,'_ Naruto interrupted, offended the fox would think he would even consider doing such a thing with his best friend. Although, his current position said otherwise.

'_**No, you should have KEPT this photo along with the rest! For Kami's sake, this is the first time you actually get some grade-A pornographic material, and you just throw it away! Please don't tell me you are going to go back to beating your meat to those crappy Princess Gale movies like you used to,'**_ the demon fox groaned out.

Naruto went a bit red at this plea. _'Hey, how did you-'_

'_**Kit,' **_the fox interrupted, _**'just because you never spoke to me until the chuunin exams, does not mean I had not been watching what you did before then. I mean come on, you use the transformation jutsu to get sake but the thought never occurred to use it to buy some porn? I mean come on, there wasn't even any nudity in those movies! It's just pathetic! I swear to god, I still have that stupid kissing scene memorized from how much you used to replay it when you were younger.'**_

Naruto was both extremely embarrassed and offended by the fox's rant. _'Come on! I didn't watch it __**that**__ much!' _the blonde defended himself aggressively.

To make his point, the kyuubi actually began reciting the romantic kissing scene from the first Princess Gale movie. _**'I know I am but a lowly subject of yours, but before I go off to battle, I must let you know – I love you, Princess Gale,' **_kyuubi acted out in his best mock-impersonation of the male protagonist. _**'Hideki, I will not let you go without me. I will fight alongside you!' **_the nine tails said in a very unconvincing female voice, before switching back to the male one. _**'But princess, you have the whole kingdom to protect. And it would be an honor to fall in battle to keep you safe.' **_Back in female voice, kyuubi recited the last lines, _**'But Hideki, you are the one in the entire kingdom I want to protect most of all. I do not care if my father does not approve, I will not let him keep us apart. Please… kiss me… SPLAT'**_ Kurama added at the end, implying through the sound effect his host's climax at the end of the scene.

The jinchuuriki was left speechless, unable to come up with a response to save his dignity. He could never catch a break with the kyuubi. After all, he was just a kid back then, for Kami's sake. Can't the fox ever cut him some slack?

'_**Oh what's wrong kit, fox got your tongue? Finally willing to own up to your obsession with that Yukie vixen?'**_

'_I was __**not**__ obsessed!' _the blonde retorted.

'_**Sure you weren't kit. Just like you don't have a raging hard-on in that autographed picture you have where she kissed you on the cheek.' **_Naruto was really getting tired of the fox's sense of sarcasm.

'_HA! I was knocked out when that happened; I didn't have a boner! Gotcha you liar!'_ Naruto argued back, proud to have finally caught the fox in a lie.

'_**Oh really now? Perhaps you are forgetting the little dream you were having in that hospital bed, the one where Princess Yukie was giving her **_**'courageous and noble saviour'** _**a **_**proper**_** thank you kiss a little bit lower on the anatomy, if you know what I mean.' **_Naruto became even more flushed, being reminded of his rather dirty dream. He was too embarrassed to even get irritated by the mocking tone of voice his demon had used when describing him as the 'courageous and noble saviour'. Turning his head away from the picture in his hand for the first time since he got back from his awkward exchange with Hinata, he glanced at the photo in question. He had framed it and put it on his dresser, right beside his old photo of Team 7. Surely enough, careful inspection showed that, despite the design of the hospital blanket coincidentally doing good job at disguising it, his younger self had most definitely been sporting a tent beneath it. Naruto made a mental note to take the picture off his dresser and keep it somewhere out of sight.

The nine tailed fox merely snickered at having bested his host once again. Kurama believed Naruto definitely did not have any right to be calling either of his senseis perverts.

Getting back on topic, Naruto sternly told his demon, _'Look, I'm done jerking it to those movies, but I'm not gonna start perving on my friends either.'_

The demon sighed, tired of his container's constant compulsion to play the nice guy. _**'You know, kit, if you**_ **really**_** don't want that picture, I'd bet that Inuzuka teammate of hers would probably pay through the snout to get his hands on it. Mention it to him and he'd be begging and rolling over in an instant. Hell, he'd probably give you Akamaru just for one look at it!'**_

'_Enough, fox!' _Naruto nearly lost it at such an idea. The shinobi thought he was just angry at the idea of betraying his friend's trust like that, but he was also feeling a bit possessive and irked by the thought of someone else seeing the images, unbeknownst to even himself. _'I could never do that! Hinata would never forgive me if I started spreading private photos of her around the village! She's already gonna hate me enough when she finds out I kept this one for myself!'_

'_**And how would she find that out? What are you going to do with it?'**_

'_I have to do the right thing. I have to return it to her.'_ The usually exuberant blonde sounded very grave. He feared how his friend would react when she found out he had withheld the photo from her. She was probably embarrassed enough knowing he must have seen them in the first place to realize he had the wrong weapon pouch, she would probably be furious at him for committing this betrayal. The teen was lucky enough to have a girl as wonderful as her as a friend in the first place, and know he had possibly ruined their friendship. Naruto regretted his impulsive decision to keep the photo; damn his teenage hormones.

Kurama could sense the dread and regret in Naruto's voice. For the second time in their conversation, the nine tails went very out of character and attempted to reassure his jailor. _**'Look kit, if you feel that badly about it, just hide the picture somewhere. Even if you don't want to look at it anymore, you can just keep it a secret; nobody has to know.'**_

'_She'll probably notice there's one missing. There weren't a ton to begin with, and naked pictures of yourself are probably pretty hard to forget about. There's no way she won't notice, and then she'd come to me and find out I took it,'_ Naruto countered, sounding more uncharacteristically hopeless by the second.

'_**Just say it must have fallen out,' **_the fox suggested.

'_I could never lie to her like that. I never go back on my word. And aren't you forgetting she has the freaking __**byakugan**__! All it would take is one quick look into my apartment and she'd find it right away!'_

'_**Well then, if you are worried she'd find it, you will just have to white it out beyond recognition,' **_the demon jested, unable to remain so sickeningly helpful anymore.

'_Ugh, can't you ever be serious for more than two minutes?'_

'_**Nope. However, I **_**have**_** been seriously **_**turned on **_**by that picture for the last half hour, and I know you are too. So just relax and enjoy the view,'**_ the kyuubi coaxed its host.

'_Look, I told you already fox, __**I am not going to masturbate to Hinata**__. __**She is my friend, and I would never do that to her.**__'_

'_**Geez, you make it sound like she's here in the room.' **_**'…When she's actually outside the window,' **the demon fox mused to himself knowingly. Nothing gets past the great nine tailed fox. **'And you're really gonna hurt her if you DON'T start working your rod soon,'** Kurama once again thought to himself. _**'Besides, it's a nudie pic, what did you think it was for? What reason would someone take a picture for other than showing it to people?'**_

While the fox made perfect sense, Naruto knew better. This was not just any picture. Surely Hinata was not actually planning on going around and sharing it with all her friends and comrades. Yes, the photo was intended for someone to see, but not him. _'This isn't the kind of picture you just show off to people. She probably has a boyfriend that she meant to send this too.'_ Naruto's heart sank a bit as he said these words to his bijuu companion, though he merely contributed it to his growing guilt. _'This wasn't for me, or Kiba, or some perverted old fox.'_

'**Well, I guess two for three isn't too bad,'** the nine tails mused to himself. Though the kyuubi truly did not care about his host's love life (or at least he told himself he didn't), the fox decided to see if he could get the dense boy to clue in to his secret admirer's plight. You know, purely for his own amusement; he just liked seeing the dobe fumble around trying to figure out the obvious is all. _**'Kit, you have probably spent more time with her lately than anyone else, **_**especially**_** any boy. If she were dating someone, don't you think you would have noticed? Or that she would have at least mentioned him?'**_

Though the jinchuuriki was convinced the only person Hinata would be willing to do something so intimate for would have to be a boyfriend, the fox had a point. Naruto had never once seen Hinata with another boy doing anything to make it seem as if the two were a couple. Hinata had also opened up a lot more to Naruto as the pair became closer. The two of them had a strong mutual trust; she would share nearly anything with him, from family issues to her own hopes and dreams. However, Hinata never said she was in a relationship.

But if the pictures were not meant for her boyfriend, who else was there? _'… Maybe she wanted to send them to a boy she liked?'_

**HOLY. FUCKING. SHIT. **Did the dobe actually just get something right? Perhaps the boy was smarter than the fox gave him credit for. Still on par with a chimpanzee in his personal opinion, but one of those chimpanzees that can speak sign language at least.

'_He must be pretty thick if Hinata-chan thinks she has to pose nude to get his attention,'_ Naruto inferred, clueless to the fact that he was that thick boy.

'**Two for two! The kit's on a roll this time,' **Kurama thought, more surprised than he had been in over a hundred years. The kyuubi, along with everyone else in the village, already knew this of the jinchuuriki, although it was unexpectedly satisfying to hear the gaki admit it, albeit unintentionally. On second thought, the fact that he did not even know he was describing himself just made it better. _**'Yeah, must be a real idiot,'**_ the fox added, trying to have some more fun with his host.

'_Are you kidding me? Idiot is an understatement. Hinata is probably the most amazing girl I have ever met. She's so kind, smart, caring, fun to be with… beautiful,' the blonde said, staring at the picture of her with a deeper blush, 'and despite what anyone says, a strong ninja. I can't stand it when she tells me about how her family would call her weak, it's their fault she never had the courage to show them all her real potential. But she's different now. I know everyone says it's impossible to read a Hyuuga's eyes, but whenever Hinata is challenged, I swear she has the most determined look in her eyes I have ever seen. Any man who would turn that down must have something eating away at their brain.'_

'**And that makes it three for three. Thank Kami I stopped doing that before I did anything **_**too**_** permanent. Let's see if the kit can get a perfect four for four.' **The demon prepared himself to test the boy's deduction skills and ask him the final question. _**'Very touching speech, but now kit, I want you to listen very carefully to my words, okay?' **_the kyuubi told his container slowly and seriously. Naruto was brought to full attention by the fox's voice. The nine tailed bijuu continued in a patronizing tone, as if he were talking to a five-year-old. _**'If Hinata really wanted to attract this boy so badly, she would try to get closer to him, right? But it seems as if, aside from her girlfriends and training, she has been seeking **_**your**_** company in most of her free time. So, who do you think this crush of hers could be?' **_The demon could have easily _told_ Naruto that he was the thick-headed baka that the Hyuuga had fallen for, but he felt this was something the dobe had to figure out on his own. Plus it wouldn't be any fun if he just came out and said it. Kurama had tried to make his message as clear as possible though. All the fox could do now was silently wait for the moment of truth.

Naruto was very annoyed; he never liked being talked down to. Although the way the fox explained it made his vessel see how obvious the answer was, he didn't have to be such a dick about it. True, Hinata was definitely not the type of person to do something like this completely out of the blue. If she had liked someone, surely she would have tried talking to them or spending some time together, but she had been with him more than anyone else lately.

…

Okay, so if she **didn't** have a crush, and didn't have a boyfriend , then who would she want to take nude photos for? _'Uhh… Maybe she did some nude modeling?'_ the ever clueless jinchuuriki guessed. A longshot, yes, but what other options were there?

Kurama wanted to laugh. He **really** did. Hinata Hyuuga, the nude model. The girl who wore a bulky winter jacket every day of the year until a few months ago; the girl who fainted at the mention of **kissing**, a nude model! It truly was laughable. Unfortunately, the kyuubi could not enjoy the roaring laughter begging to escape because he was too chagrined by the fact that he was stuck inside this idiot. It was humiliating, really. The great kyuubi no kitsune, sealed inside a boy who once attempted to perform the substitution technique by chucking a log out of the tree he was hiding in. Needless to say, when the class saw the flying log, no one fell for it, and the boy gave his position away and failed the test. The great fox groaned, wondering if there were any other bijuu stuck inside such a ridiculous host.

* * *

**In Kumogakure**

"Are you sure this is safe?" Omoi worriedly asked his sensei, pointing to the paper bombs placed nearby.

"Yo, don't fear, everything'll be alright; and I need some effects to make my music video tight. Karui, you keep the camera rolling while I'm dropping my rhymes; and Omoi remember to cue the pyrotechnics on time. Bakayaro! Konoyaro!" Killer Bee said this to reassure his makeshift crew, though they still seemed quite nervous over his idea.

"Alright then," a reluctant Omoi responded, still worried as usual. _'What if Bee-sama is underestimating the number of paper bombs he's using? What if the explosion is so powerful that it kills him? Then the gyuuki would not have a host, and the village would need to find a new one. What if they select me to be the next jinchuuriki? What would happen if I had to contain the eight tails? Perhaps I would manage to tame it even better than Bee-sama, and become the most powerful shinobi in Kumo. What if I became so strong that Ay-sama named me the fifth Raikage, but I can't take the pressure and responsibility and lead the village to its doom?' _

The jinchuuriki's students did as they were told, and while Killer Bee began his newest rap, Omoi patiently waited for his cue to light the paper bombs. When he did, the explosion was in fact greater than expected, and started shaking up the mountain beside them. Soon, chunks of rock began falling down the side of it towards the group, as well as destroying some of the buildings supported by the rock structure.

Both Karui and Omoi ran from the rockslide, while Bee formed octopus tentacles from his backside which shielded him from the rocks. When the dust settled, his two students came back to find him jumping out of the rubble unharmed.

"Bee-sama, I thought you said this was safe!" an infuriated Karui screamed, looking around at the damage they had caused.

"I did say that, this I cannot deny; but I am safe, aren't I?"

"**BEEEEEEEEEEE! ! !**" the Raikage shouted as he delivered a punch to the gut that had the jinchuuriki flying halfway through the hidden village.

* * *

**Back with Naruto**

'_**Sure, kit,'**_the kyuubi drawled in his most sarcastic tone yet, _**'I bet she was probably planning on submitting those to playnin for next week's issue. Hinata Hyuuga.'**_

'_Alright, I get it, bad guess! Not like you got any better theories, so just shut it you stupid fox!'_ Naruto told the demon in frustration. Surprisingly enough, the kyuubi simply smirked and actually remained quiet.

It was not because was actually listening to his jailor; no, he would rather die than take orders from that dobe. The fox only shut up because it could sense that it could sense that it had already said enough. You see, aside from the joy he gets from it, the second reason the fox argues with his host so much is to stir up the boy's anger. Since the demon can only affect his container when he is experiencing feelings of anger and hate, the kyuubi often eggs him on like this to gain some power over him. This is how the fox often wins their arguments, or gets his points through Naruto's thick skull. While the blonde's frustration could not compare to the fury and hatred flowing through him during the instances where the nine tails has actually taken over, it was still anger. It did not give him enough control to even move the jinchuuriki's arm, but it was enough to get the boy to stop resisting his urges. Given the situation, it was an incredibly easy feat.

Though the kid may not know it yet, the fox was just helping the gaki realize what he wants. And hey, if the fox got a nice live show later, rather than just a picture or a Kami-damn PG-13 movie, then it would be worth actually being helpful for once. **'The kit will thank me for this later,'** the demon thought.

When the kyuubi stayed quiet, Naruto simply continued to stare at the picture in his hand. Suddenly, his conscience and doubts began to slowly recede, and the teen found himself increasingly drawn to the photograph. His eyes scanned the image with intensity, memorizing every detail. Naruto took in every inch of creamy, exposed flesh, every voluptuous curve. He was hypnotized by the pink buds on the two large and luscious mounds that the girl had kept hidden for so many years. His gaze wandered lower to the womanly folds between her toned thighs. Even her face seemed so enticing in this picture. It did not hold the usual compassionate gaze that he had come accustomed to. Instead, the intensity of her eyes bore into him, as if she were actually staring directly at him with that look of want and hunger.

Before Naruto knew what he was doing, his free hand had drifted towards his zipper to release his strained erection from its confines. Naruto felt the cold air hit his cock as it stood tall, now outside of his lowered pants. Finally the blonde's hand began to give it the attention it had been depraved of the entire time the teen had been staring at the picture.

* * *

**Outside Naruto's Apartment**

Hinata was beginning to worry. For a while, Naruto just sat there, staring at the photo. What confused the voyeur even more were the constant changes in emotion on the teen's face. Just what **was** he thinking about? One second he seemed angry, then he was blushing, then he seemed sad, and then angry again! Despite the throbbing contradiction in his pants, Hinata was starting to think he truly was not attracted to her.

That is, until his hand finally began venturing below his waist. Hinata forgot all conscious thoughts, and the veins by her eyes bulged even further, as if she were attempting to see through the wall without the other sight-altering effects of the byakugan. Though the view was not perfect, the Hyuuga was easily able to identify the appendage that burst out of its orange prison. Though it was still not fully erect, Naruto's length was still pretty impressive. If Hinata had to guess, she would say it was probably about seven inches right now, and she could not wait to see its full size.

The dazed girl had to bring a hand up to her face to muffle a gasp as Naruto's hand wrapped around his cock, his fingers squeezing it snugly. Hinata had fantasized about this before. You could not be born with eyes that can see through walls and **not** think about using them to spy on someone in an intimate situation such as this. But imagining it and actually seeing it for real were two completely different things. Hinata could feel the fire burning in her loins when she had first looked in on the boy on his bed, but the heat became unbearable as the man of her dreams began working his shaft.

Unconsciously, Hinata's right hand found its way to her pants too, seamlessly slipping past the navy capris and pushing past her sopping panties. Her left grasped her breast, fondling the soft mound before giving it a light squeeze. She had to stifle yet another gasp from the sensation, not new yet somehow much more intense than she was used to. This difference in feeling was observed again as Hinata began to trace the outline of her lower lips. It felt as if her body was twice as sensitive, a difference she accredited to the fact that she was watching her love pleasure himself right in front of her.

The blonde teen's strokes were slow at first, rising up and down the shaft, occasional pausing at the top to rub the ridge just beneath the head. Hinata was paying close attention to her love's technique, making mental notes and storing them away for later. It did not take long for the organ to finish hardening, reaching the full extent of its length, most likely eight or nine inches in all. When it had stopping growing under its owner's ministration, Naruto's hand wasted no time in picking up the pace.

Entranced by her love's movements, Hinata began craving more contact. Her left hand snaked under her mesh shirt until it came upon her bra. It rushed through this second layer of coverings without hesitation to pinch the heiress' pert nipple. As she squeezed and tweaked the rosy bud, the fingers of her other hand became coated in the juices leaking from her sensitive womanhood, begging for more attention.

She willingly complied to her body's demands and slipped a finger, lubricated with her own fluids, into her pussy. This sent an electric shock of pleasure up her spine, and her back arched in response. Hinata had to bite down on her bottom lip to keep from moaning out in the ecstasy she was feeling this moment. For the first time since she had ever touched herself, the horny Hyuuga was frighteningly aware of all the moans and grunts attempting to escape her lips. Hinata kept biting on her bottom lip as her finger began thrusting in and out, not wanting to be heard and found out by any stragglers walking down the streets of Konoha later than they should be.

* * *

**In a Tree Just Out of the Byakugan's Range**

Two ANBU Black Ops sat on a sturdy branch, observing the teen through a pair of binoculars. The team which were assigned to watch over the pair were smart enough to stay far enough back to remain out of the view of the Hyuuga's doujutsu, a precaution that the shinobi were correct to have taken.

The ANBU member wearing a boar mask accepted the binoculars from his teammate. "Wow, I can't believe she actual had it in her to do it. And – is that her hand in her pants?! Man, I cannot believe she is actually doing _that_ in public! I saw her a few times when the Hyuuga's requested some extra security a few years back, and I swear she used to be the shiest little girl."

Out of the corner of his eye, the disbelieving ANBU saw a cricket hop onto the branch beside the two of them. This cricket must have belonged to their third team member, who was an Aburame. The Aburame was watching Naruto at the time, but was able to spot Hinata coming early enough to distance himself sufficiently before she had activated her byakugan. He had managed to plant some insects inside the boy's apartment though, to continue to watch him and relay any new information. As soon as the cricket's presence was known to the other two ANBU, it began to chirp a message in morse code. By the time the insect had finished, the two spies were giggling endlessly. Looking back to the balcony where the kunoichi was currently pleasuring herself, the boar-masked ANBU was tempted to just hurl a kunai through the window to cut the blinds off and see the two horny teens' reactions. He refrained from acting on this temptation, only because he knew the torture he was in for if the Hokage found out he had interfered in a way that could compromise the integrity of her betting pool.

"I'm going to Hidden Horizon to report this development to Hokage-sama, she is **really** going to want to hear this. You okay watching Hinata by yourself for a while?" the ANBU questioned his partner. He looked back to the toad-masked shinobi for confirmation, and received a vigorous nod. Before he turned around to stealthily evacuate the tree, he noticed his partner had a notebook in his hands, and seemed to be writing down the current events. _'Huh, looks like he's taking notes… I should've thought of that, wouldn't want to miss any details on the mission reports.'_

As the masked shinobi leaped away towards the bar Tsunade was sure to be at, the toad-masked ANBU glanced over his shoulder. When he was sure his partner was out of eyesight, he brought his fingers under his mask and blew a low whistle. Immediately after, another ANBU member wearing a Hyena mask dropped onto the tree. The ANBU member beside him handed him the binoculars and said to him, "Soak it all in and get to work, Sai boy. You're looking at the cover of Icha Icha: Bloodline!" the excited ANBU said, as the other nodded, pulling out a scroll and a brush.

* * *

**On Naruto's Balcony**

Hinata had continued fingering herself, watching Naruto and attempting to mirror his speed and intensity. Her left hand clenched firmly on her right breast, her titplay adding to her arousal. Hinata could see from his lip movements that he was grunting out his pleasure, though not loud enough to make it through the walls. Oh how Hinata yearned to hear him, his heavy breathing, his moans, his dirty talking encouraging her to bring him to gratification herself. Though she was no expert at lip-reading, the masturbating Hyuuga could've sworn her crush had just said her name, and it only managed to excite the perverted heiress more.

Hinata, completely lost in the pleasure she was giving herself, dared to bring her thumb up to her nub. While she was still thrusting her finger through her wet folds, her thumb began to draw lazy circles around her sensitive clit, teasing herself. She soon brought it to flick the nub, and was rewarded with a tingling sensation which nearly brought the Hyuuga to her knees. If she could receive this much pleasure just from watching Naruto, how good would it feel to have him inside her?

Hinata squeezed her breast a little harder at the thought, switching between them as she sensually massaged the pair, wishing it was Naruto's hand roaming her lusting body. She was tempted, so very tempted to just walk inside the apartment and give herself to her masturbating crush then and there, but decided against it. With her bad luck streak, her breaking into the apartment would most likely end badly, and she could not risk ruining the mood for either of them. After waiting so long, she really wanted this. She **needed** this. She would not let any misunderstandings or misfortune take this away from her. Besides, her legs were barely able to support her anymore; she was not sure if they had the strength to make it inside.

Naruto seemed to be speeding up his strokes, getting rougher and rougher with himself. His balls had started bouncing with his powerful jerks, and the slit at the tip of his engorged head was leaking a clear liquid, though nowhere near as much as Hinata. Seeing his face contorting into that far-off look of pleasure made Hinata's pride swell, knowing she was the one that had caused his arousal. _'What are you thinking, Naruto kun? What would you do to me if you knew how I felt?'_ If the way one jerks off is any indication of the way they make love, it would be a safe guess Naruto would fuck her hard. As Hinata fought back the moans brought on by her busy hands, she pictured herself in the bedroom with Naruto, her legs spread wide for his hard-as-steel cock, him grabbing her hips tightly as he thrust it in, relentlessly pounding its full length into her depths, his sack slapping against her thighs as her lover's meat dug into her sensitive spot, slamming inside her one final time before his cock shot all of it's hot, sticky contents into her hungry womb…

Hinata wished she were born a Yamanaka, then she would be able to walk straight into her crush's mind and gladly take pretend-Hinata's place in his fantasies. If she had had her way, they would have already have lived out most of them by now.

To keep up with the intensity Naruto's ministrations, Hinata added a second finger to the lone spelunker. Her slit was stretched a little more, but this just increased the pleasure. It was too great, in fact, and the heiress had to reluctantly remove the hand caressing her breasts to bring it up to her mouth before she screamed in ecstasy. Fortunately, only a dampened squeal came out, and judging by the fact that Naruto showed no signs of abandoning his work he had not heard.

While her two fingers rubbed up against her inner walls, sliding in and out with ease on the slippery surface, her thumb played with her nub more aggressively, flicking and rubbing away at it. Hinata barely silenced another cry of pleasure as she felt a coil tightening in her stomach. She hated having to be so quiet. She wanted to moan, wanted to scream. She wanted her crush to hear it; she wanted him to hear her cry his name out to him, wanted him to know that he was the only man who could ever make her this wet and horny, and the only man who could ever satisfy her libido. But alas, she could not be caught in such a compromising position. Lest he know – er, _think_ she was a stalker.

Hinata was coming close to her orgasm, and she could tell Naruto was too. Both hastened their actions, reaching for their gratifying finishes. Naruto was about to cum, she could see it coming.

Literally.

With her enhanced byakugan vision, she could actually see the semen traveling out of his balls and through the vas deferens and urethra before exiting his body. It was very strange to see, yet oddly hot for the young Hyuuga. All of a sudden, Naruto's body tensed, and his eyes clamped shut as if he were straining to lift something heavy. The hand which was holding the naked image of the heiress outside his window almost reflexively darted to his balls, groping and fondling them for extra stimulation. Soon those sperm containers released their hot juices as Naruto's thick load shot out into the open air.

Hinata's reaction to this was to reach her own climax. She felt the coil in her belly suddenly snap from the pressure as her orgasm rocked through her entire being. Her body froze, then her knees all but buckled as the euphoric sensation drained her of all energy, and her hand had been soaked by her own cum, which had gushed down her lower body like a waterfall.

Her self-pleasuring session over, Hinata deemed it safe to release her left hand from her mouth and used it to lean against the outer wall of Naruto's apartment. As she panted heavily to catch her breath, she stared at Naruto, who was recuperating too. She noticed that the picture he was holding had been too close to his dick when he came, and some of the jizz had oozed its way onto the photo. Hinata smiled. She liked the image of herself covered in her love's semen, even if the amount on the image of the teen was proportionately, unrealistically massive. Oh well, a girl can dream.

"H-Hinata-sama?"

Hinata did not need her byakugan vision to know who was standing behind her, though it did save her the need to turn her head around to confirm. Her eyes bulged in shock of being caught. Sometime during her blissful release, she had been too distracted to notice her cousin touch down behind her on the balcony.

'_How did uncle know Hinata would be right here? And was she just doing what I think she was?!'_

Neji was able to figure out the answer to his second question was most likely yes, as he could see Hinata's active byakugan as she spun around on the spot.

"Kyaaaaa!" However, before her cousin could say another word, the Hyuuga heiress panicked, and with her byakugan already active she reflexively unleashed a flurry of jyuuken strikes at the unwanted witness to her peeping. Neji was caught completely off-guard, and fell to his knees with a loud thud after having several of his tenketsu painfully closed. With the adrenaline from her sudden fright rejuvenating her energy, Hinata quickly fled the scene, jumping through town towards the Hyuuga compound, hoping to change her pants before anyone else noticed the big wet spot on them.

Neji, still incredibly surprised by what he had just seen, activated his kekkei genkai and pumped chakra through his hand to begin reopening his chakra points. However, he was so preoccupied with the operation that he did not notice the boy on the other side of the wall zipping up his pants and grabbing a kunai, nor the thumping sounds of his rushed footsteps towards his window. What he did notice was when the blonde threw the blinds aside and opened his balcony window before shouting out, "Who the hell is – Neji?! What are you doing here?"

Naruto gave the Hyuuga before him a puzzled stare. He could not figure out what Neji would be doing on his balcony this late at night, or why he was using his doujutsu… "Wait! Were you just spying on me?!" Naruto accused, feeling extremely violated thinking the jonin might have just been watching him… having his _private_ time.

"What? No! I was just –" Neji began defending himself, trying to think of a way to explain himself without embarrassing Hinata and bringing shame to the Hyuuga name, until he caught sight of the object in Naruto's other hand. "What is that in your hand?"

When Neji reverted back to his stoic monotone, a chill went up Naruto's spine and he could feel a wave off killing intent radiating off the older boy. The blonde looked to the hand which was not holding his kunai, and that is when he realized he was still holding a, now very sticky, photo of a naked Hinata.

He looked back to an enraged Neji and completely forgot their previous situation. Naruto made a break for it to the front door of his house, planning to run as far away as possible. Neji, whose brotherly instincts were kicking in, chased the offending Uzumaki in hot pursuit after having remedied the last of his closed tenketsu. If he got his hands on the boy, he would give him double the treatment he had just received from Hinata.

* * *

**A/N: Hope I didn't disappoint with the lime, I tried my best. I was pretty much just going off of what I learned about erotic writing from other fanfiction and my overactive imagination. Please let me know how I can improve my sex writing in the future in the reviews! **

**Hope u guys got some laughs too, although I put some more emotion than usual into this chapter. The wheels are finally getting rollin, the plot is beginning to advance. I'm sure this is making most of you VERY happy. The chapter had Kurama, Killer Bee, Neji, Jiraiya &amp; Sai, another movie reference, and masturbation. What more could you want?**

**Also, just in case a few of you are confused, these last two chapters took place during the same day as the omake. That's why I said it would tie into this (these) chapter(s), which is why Hiashi went to the bar, the boar-masked ANBU went to report Hinata peeping with her byakugan to the Hidden Horizon, and why Hiashi sent Neji to get Hinata like he said in the omake.**

**FOLLOW/FAVE/REVIEW/MASTURBATE!**


	10. Chapter 8: The Waiting Game

**A/N: Yo! Sorry for the wait again, I just got really distracted, but I finally got around to it and finished the chapter as fast as I could! I am so sorry, please forgive me, I do not wish to provoke the wrath… er, **_**disappointment **_**of MistaBiggles! Hopefully this chapter is good enough to make up for the wait, I left you devoted readers a little 'gift' in the intro, hope you like. ;) Also, one comment I feel the need to answer, for anyone who feels the same:**

**SilentSambo88:**** Yes, THAT trope. I happen to like THAT trope; if there's not at least one angry Hyuuga then it's not much of a NaruHina fic in my opinion, and Hiashi has already been made not eligible for that role. NO, Neji does NOT have any deeper feelings for Hinata. NO. JUST. NO. Regarding the reason for his anger, #1: he feels practically like a brother to Hinata, and is sometimes overprotective of her. So, he was driven by his overprotective brotherly instincts, and his traditional, prudish Hyuuga upbringing does not help with matters regarding threats to the heiress'/his cousin/sister's purity. #2: Remember, he has NO IDEA HOW Naruto got that picture. For all he knows, he could have been hiding outside her window with a camera. I believe THAT would DEFINITELY warrant a beating. #3: There is also a third reason why Neji would be a bit more testy than usual, and you will find out in the next chapt.**

**As far as who can beat who, this is how I see it: in animes, I think that the characters usually hold back their full power in casual situations. Because of this, the pissed off dude pretty much always wins. (How else can you explain how SAKURA, EARLY-ORIGINAL-SERIES USELESS SAKURA, could knock Naruto out cold with ease when he pissed her off?) And think about it: if Naruto actually fought back, it would probably just make things worse. While I believe Naruto would win, Neji is still the Hyuuga-prodigy and first jonin of their group, a very strong opponent, so it would be pretty close. At full strength, the two would probably end up causing a huge scene, lots of collateral damage (his wind-rasenshuriken, the fruits of his elemental training, would probably wipe out a good couple of blocks of the village, not to mention KILL Neji), seriously injuring each other, and wind up in the hospital with possibly some legal consequences. Basically, Naruto can a) Go through all of that, b) Take a little beating like a man, or c) Run. He chose c). This is why, outside of real battles, the angry dude always wins. (Unless the other guy is faster!)**

**Sorry for the long explanation, but I wanted to make my viewpoint on the issue clear. ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: Kishi owns!**

"Speech"

'_Thoughts'_

'_**Kyuubi Thoughts'**_**/"Kyuubi Speech in Mindscape"**

* * *

Later that night Hinata was lying on her bed, thinking of all that had just happened. What she had seen, what she had done, and what may come of it. She just prayed Neji would not tell her father of her public act of self-degradation. There was no telling how he would punish her for staining the _Hyuuga pride_ in such an embarrassing way. Despite Hinata's fear of her possible reprimanding, it had been completely worth it.

The only thoughts that outweighed Hinata's worries were the images of Naruto flashing through her mind. The thoughts would not leave her alone, persistently invading her consciousness. What would have happened if she had had the guts to open that window and join him in the apartment? What would he think of her? Was he thinking of her right now? How long would Ino's plan take to cause him to abandon the picture and move on to the real deal – the real **her**?

With all these thoughts and the image of what Hinata imagined her crush's naked form looked like in person swirling around in her mind, sleep eluded the heiress. Soon, she felt the all-too-familiar warmth she had experienced only hours ago outside the blonde's apartment. It was then that Hinata realised that there was only one way she was going to get any rest that night.

A dainty hand slowly made its way down the lavender-eyed kunoichi's body, skimming along the surface of her nightgown as it slid down her neck, chest, and stomach. Hinata kept her eyes closed, imagining her crush lying atop her in nothing but his birthday suit, trailing soft kisses down her body where her hand was. When the appendage reached her waistline, Hinata plunged into her panties without pause, seeking the relief that would allow her to drift peacefully to sleep.

The restless Hyuuga brought her index finger to her soft, pink pussy lips and dove in. Her breaths became heavy as she pulled the finger back out, and began repeating the cycle at a medium pace. Hinata felt her pleasure building up with every thrust. She arched her back as soft mewls and moans disrupted the silence of her room. The heiress felt her finger being coated in a layer of her own juices, which made it slip in and out with greater ease. Now lubricated in her sweet nectar, she slipped a second finger in and increased her speed. Her other hand clutched to the bed sheets in a death grip as her stomach muscles tightened in response.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata called out to no one, her voice gentle and longing. She imagined his toned, muscular body looming over her as he thrust back and forth, calling her name in response. Sweat droplets were forming on her body. The combined forces of her ministrations and imagination were causing her body to continue to heat up until it was unbearable. She unclenched her idle hand and swiftly tossed her blanket off of her overheated body.

All the while, her fingers continued their routine, jerking throughout her wetness, paying extra attention to the sweet spots she knew would bring her to climax. She called out the name of the man in her fantasies again, only louder. "Naruto-kun," she beckoned, as if attempting to will him to appear before her. Her moans echoed off the walls of her room, a lust-filled plea for the jinchuuriki's presence.

Amidst her euphoric breaths, Hinata heard a light pitter-patter to her left. She whipped her head in the direction of the unknown sound and froze. There was someone outside her window. The horny Hyuuga immediately withdrew her hand from her womanhood and clutched her bedsheets to her chest in a panicked effort to conceal herself.

"W-who's there?" she called out into the darkness on the other side of the window. A stare of shock and fear was etched onto her face. She was about to use her byakugan to identify the intruder when they suddenly revealed themself.

As if responding to her question, Hinata saw a hand move to open the conveniently unlocked window. The heiress was about to get into a battle stance to prepare to defend herself until she saw a leg coming through the opening. When she saw it, her legs gave out and she fell on her ass back onto her bed. All of her worry vanished; if anything she felt even safer than she did before. However, her shock just increased and her eyes widened

It was not so much the leg itself that had surprised Hinata, but what was worn on that leg. The person whom she had caught outside her window was wearing a pair of bright orange pants. _'Orange? But the only person who wears that colour is –'_

The shocked girl's mind stopped as the rest of the shadowy figure came into view. It was none other than Naruto Uzumaki.

"Naruto-kun! W-what are you d-doing here?" Hinata was compelled to ask by her curiosity. Naruto's reaction was one she did not expect. Before answering, his lips stretched into a grin. Not his usual goofy, happy grin though. This one was different, more intense, almost teasing. It sent pleasant shivers up her spine.

"Well, I heard you call my name," he replied in a calm, husky voice that excited Hinata to no end. She should have been embarrassed that he had heard her, had **seen** her while she was masturbating, but instead her body quivered in anticipation. "I wanted to thank you for the pictures you gave me, but you left before I could invite you in," Naruto continued, slowly closing the distance between the two. Hinata could not believe what she was hearing. _'He knew?'_ Hinata loosened her grip on her bedsheets as her crush approached, causing them to fall and reveal her barely-clothed form. Naruto's grin grew slightly at this, and both teens found their eyes locked onto each other's.

Hinata's heart beat faster with every step the blonde took. The only thought she was capable of thinking was _'Is this really happening?' _Neither could break eye contact the entire time, as if trapped in the other's gaze. Time froze for Hinata as Naruto stopped right in front of her. He bent down until their eyes were level, and cerulean bored into lavender. A warm hand suddenly came up and cupped Hinata's cheek ever so gently, caressing it. "Thank you, my hime. I love you."

Hinata's heart stopped. The confession was almost too much for her, and she could not help but love the new pet name her love had given her. By all rights, as heiress to the noblest clan in the village, she was the closest thing to a princess there was in Konoha, though this was the first time she had actually felt like one.

Knowing the girl in front of him would not be able to respond anytime soon, Naruto proceeded to close the last few inches between their faces and take her lips with his own. After realizing what was happening, the blue-haired kunoichi regained control of her body with a start. She responded to the kiss, hot and passionate, and wrapped her arms around her long-time love's neck. Naruto deepened the kiss further too by grabbing hold of her waist and pulling her closer, their bodies conforming to the contours of the other.

Every part of Hinata in contact with the boy's strong body was immediately set on fire, and Hinata began running her hands through the Uzumaki's spiky golden locks. Naruto began licking her lower lip, and Hinata let him enter her mouth without a second thought.

As their tongues battled for dominance, Hinata was slowly pushed onto her back, with her love pressed on top of her.

Hinata was about to protest when she felt Naruto's body separating from her own, that is, until she felt one of his hands move from her waist to her chest. She moaned into the kiss, and her tingling chest pushed further into the boy's calloused hand, seeking more contact.

Surprisingly Hinata was the first to break the kiss. The boy on top of her gave her a confused and disappointed look, until Hinata began to speak. "Naruto-kun, please…" Her voice was dripping desire and need, and her eyes were glazed over with lust. Not another word needed to be said; Naruto knew exactly what she wanted. Donning what Hinata could only describe as his 'panty-creaming sexy grin' again, he began to lift her nightgown over her head, and tossed it to the ground as if it were on fire. He reached his arms around her back, bringing their bodies closer once more. While his hot breaths beat against her neck, she could feel him fumbling with her bra clasp. Before long, his hands came back to her front, and they grabbed hold of the garment and rid her of it too.

For a few seconds, his eyes gorged on the spoils of his hands' labour. Hinata lied there below him as if being naked in front of him were the most natural thing in the world. She silently waited, pleading for him to touch her, craving her first sexual contact with her love without any clothes in between them.

Naruto did not disappoint, and soon his face drew towards the bare mounds, giving the rosy nub on her left breast a tentative flick of his tongue. Hinata gasped at the sensation it gave her, and threw her head back. Naruto brought his hands up and began to massage her awaiting chest, while his mouth enveloped the top of her left tit, suckling and nipping the plush skin before switching to the next.

Hinata was in paradise. Her voice betrayed her pleasure, releasing moan after moan while her lover greedily devoured her chest. Naruto was excited further by the sounds of enjoyment coming from the heiress below him. Soon, it became too much for him to handle; he could no longer restrain himself.

Naruto rose into a sitting position, straddling Hinata's hips. She let out a disappointed whine from the loss of contact. Hinata tried to raise her head to see what was wrong, but an arm on her shoulder held her down. "Time to eat your breakfast, Hinata," Naruto said to her, his free hand unzipping his pants. The perverted kunoichi had read enough Icha Icha to know what was coming next. The sound of Naruto dirty-talking to her increased the burning between her legs tenfold, but that could wait. Though Hinata did not think she had been awake **that** long, it did not matter. This was a meal she'd be happy to have for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. As Naruto's pants came off, the arm on her shoulder began shaking her lightly. "Come on nee-chan, time to eat." Hinata's mind was in such a state of bliss and anticipation she did not even wonder why Naruto had called her nee-chan, though she had greatly preferred the nickname hime. Naruto crept up her body, until his crotch was straight in front of her face. He brought his hands to the boxers which were restraining his bulging erection and slipped them off. His cock sprung out and slapped against Hinata's cheek with surprising force. The girl did not hesitate to turn her head slightly, close her eyes and take the throbbing meat into her mouth. While she did so, Naruto said to her, in an increasingly feminine voice, "Hurry up, nee-chan! Otou-san is gonna be angry if you're late for breakfast!"

Now Hinata's confusion was beginning to surmount her lust. _'There he goes, calling me nee-chan again. And is he talking about __**my**__ father? Why would he bring __**him**__ up? Somethings not right here…'_ A strange sense of awareness began to wash over Hinata.

* * *

Hinata opened her eyes to see what was happening, but had to quickly shut them again as she was blinded by the brightness of the room. As she adjusted to the sudden change, the room came back into focus. Standing beside her was her younger sister, Hanabi, whose hand was currently halfway in her mouth.

Hinata realised what she was doing, and spat her sister's hand out hurriedly. "S-sorry about that," Hinata apologized groggily, a bit embarrassed about what she had been doing to her sister while she was dreaming. She let out a mental sigh at this thought. _'Just another dream.'_ With what she had witnessed the previous night, such a thing was to be expected to happen, but Hinata wished it could have been real this time. _'Soon,'_ she reassured herself, reminding herself of Ino's plan.

Hanabi smirked teasingly at Hinata's lightly flushed face. "What's wrong; does my hand not taste as good as _Naruto-kun's?_" Hanabi teased.

"What? W-why would you say that?" Hinata stammered out, playing clueless, though her blush betrayed her.

The younger main branch member giggled at her sister's denial. "Because you talk in your sleep you know," Hanabi said as she turned around. "Just hurry up and get down for breakfast, you know otou-san does not like it when you sleep in." With that reminder, she left an embarrassed Hinata alone in her room.

'_Well, at least she doesn't know I was not dreaming of Naruto's _**hand**_,'_ Hinata thought to herself, relieved by her sister's ignorance.

* * *

After getting dressed, Hinata sat down to a rather awkward breakfast in the Hyuuga main branch household. Thankfully Neji, who had moved into the main branch house shortly after their first chuunin exams, had not said a word about her little _mishap_ the night before. He was obviously a bit embarrassed about the incident though, as he had not been able to hold eye contact with her throughout the meal. Or perhaps he had just taken a hit to his pride after being caught off guard and taken down so easily by her. Serves him right for interrupting her Naruto time!

Awkwardness aside, Hinata's morning had started out fairly normal. Get up, shower, eat, and meet her team for training. It was not until lunch that the day took an unusual turn. Hinata had picked up her usual order of ramen and brought it to Naruto's training ground. Except when she arrived, Naruto was once again gone. According to Kakashi, he had left to get lunch early.

This came as a disappointment to the heiress, as she always looked forward to her lunches with Naruto. Especially today, as she wanted to see if her friend's scheme had paid off. Hinata figured that the next step in his wind-chakra training must have just been really tough, and the blonde wanted to take a break. But then a realization hit her: if he had gone out to get lunch, then how come she had not run into him at Ichiraku's?

This had alarm bells going off in the Hyuuga's mind. Something was up. If Naruto had deliberately eaten anywhere but Ichiraku's, he must have had a reason. After all, it was the only ramen stand in Konoha, and ramen was the only food Naruto would voluntarily eat if he had the option. Breakfast: ramen. Lunch: ramen. Dinner: ramen. Dessert: ramen. Thanksgiving: turkey ramen. Movies: bag of popcorn with a hidden cup of ramen inside… You get the point.

Hinata was becoming concerned. Her crush had left the training field before the time she always arrived, and had not gone to the only place she would know where to look for him. Hyuuga's were not dumb, and Hinata was no exception. Putting two and two together, it seemed an awful lot as if Naruto was avoiding her.

The heiress offered Kakashi her extra bowl of ramen, as she knew she could not eat them both by herself. He accepted, and the lavender-eyed kunoichi bid her farewells and left in search of her friends. Hopefully Ino could offer some insight on this issue.

* * *

Finding Ino and Tenten had not been hard. Both were surprised to find Hinata wandering the village rather than sitting down to lunch with Naruto. Neither questioned it though, as they were both too curious as to whether or not she had followed through with Ino's plan.

The three sat at their regular café. Hinata had already eaten her bowl of ramen for lunch, so she just ordered tea and a cinnamon roll, her favourite sweet.

"So, did you make the switch?" Ino queried, both her and Tenten looking to Hinata expectantly.

"Yes, I did."

"Eeeeee! I knew you could do it!" Ino squealed and clapped her hands, "Trust me, this'll work! There's no way even **Naruto** could ignore you after he gets a good look inside that equipment pouch! I wonder if he's already seen the pictures?"

"He has," Hinata responded unexpectedly. Tenten looked skeptical, while Ino just became more excited. The ponytailed kunoichi was practically jumping in her seat with giddiness.

"How do you know for sure?" the bun-haired girl asked. She did not want to seem like she was trying to ruin her friend's optimism, but at the same time did not want her getting her hopes up based completely on assumptions.

Before Hinata could assure Tenten that she was sure, Ino cut in. "Don't talk to Hinata like that! Don't you trust her?" Ino chided the doubtful brunette. She turned back to the girl in question with a glint in her eyes that said she wanted details. "I knew I was good, but I didn't know I was **that** good! I mean, it hasn't even been a whole day and you already have him eating out of your hand, don't you? Soooo, what did he do? Did he ask you out? Did he tell you he likes you? Maybe even… **loves **you? Were the pictures too much for him to handle, so he came to you to satisfy his urges? Oooooooo, did he just show up at your doorstep, tell you he couldn't wait any longer to have you, carry you up to your room and ravish you right then and there?" Ino only stopped ranting to take a breath. Hinata found it eerie how alike their thoughts were. Perhaps she had been spending too much time with the mind-walker.

Hinata made sure to respond before the winded ninja could catch her breath and continue bombarding her with possibilities. "Actually, he came by the Hyuuga compound last night to return my pouch."

"**Nani?!**" Ino shouted before Hinata could fully explain what she discovered afterwards. "Well, you know what they say: all the good ones are either taken or gay. I'm sorry it took this long for you to figure out why the knucklehead was never interested in you. To be honest, I never would have guessed either. Then again, that **would** explain all the _tension_ between him and Sasuke…"

"Naruto-kun is **not** gay!" Hinata snapped. It was not that she had anything wrong with homosexuals, but she could not stand people saying such things about her crush when they most definitely were not true.

"No offense Hinata, but I gotta agree with Ino on this one. There's no other explanation. No straight man could possibly just throw away pics of a hot, naked girl! I'd kill for your body; there's **no way** he would be able to resist otherwise. Hell, if I didn't already have myself a sexy Hyuuga, I wouldn't mind seeing those pictures myself," Tenten finished with a wink. This declaration made Hinata a bit nervous. While her friends were questioning her crush's sexuality, she was beginning to question that of her friend.

"A-actually," Hinata piped in, "he did keep one of the pictures." This got both of her friends' attention. Both looked a bit confused by Hinata's contrasting statement, so the Hyuuga clarified. "When I went through the pouch, there was a photo missing."

The ever skeptical Tenten remained unconvinced. "How do you know it didn't just fall out?"

"I… I j-just know, ok?" Hinata stammered, trying to avoid having to retell the events that occurred outside Naruto's apartment. Tenten's expression did not change, however Ino grew a scheming smirk. As a Hyuuga, Hinata was an expert at detecting lies, though the heiress was not quite as good at telling them. The Yamanaka kunoichi could tell there was something she was not telling them, and she would find out. After all, she had her methods…

"I'm sorry Hinata, but I gotta agree with Tenten here," Ino said with a faked shrug, "the picture probably just fell out. After all, why would he want to see **you** naked. The only one he's probably ever imagined sans-clothes is that big-browed teammate of his." Ino could see Hinata's brows furrowing in frustration, and she found it hard to keep her smirk from resurfacing. _'Works every time. Hinata is way too easy to trick.' _"I mean, if Naruto had found a bunch of revealing pictures of **Sakura**, I'm sure he'd probably just lock himself in his room til he ran out of food."

"For your information, Ino," Hinata spat out, falling into the blonde's trap, "Sakura was the furthest thing from Naruto-kun's mind last night when he was painting that picture of me white with his cum!"

Tenten blinked her eyes, startled by what she had just heard her shy friend nearly shout out. Ino, on the other hand, merely smirked triumphantly yet again. Hinata, realizing what she had just said, quickly covered her mouth with her hand and let out a frightened "meep!"

"Oh really now?" Ino teased, "And just how, pray tell, would you know what Naruto was doing with your picture last night? Hmm?"

The embarrassed voyeur merely stammered and fumbled around for an excuse, but could not find one.

"Byakugan?" Ino asked confidently. The Hyuuga merely looked down in shame and gave a weak nod in response. In the blink of an eye, Ino and Tenten were surrounding the poor girl, wearing malicious grins and begging for details. "Come on! You can't just leave us hanging like that!"

"Yeah! You gotta tell us more than that!"

"Come on! I helped you out, you owe me! We're just curious. At least tell us how big he is!"

"T-that is private!" Hinata said, attempting to ward off the gossip-vultures circling her.

"Funny, I'm sure Naruto could say the same," Ino teased, causing Hinata's face to turn a shade of red.

Getting tired of the lavender-eyed teen's lack of cooperation, Ino prepared to play her trump card. "Fine, we tried to do this the easy way," she warned Hinata with a sigh.

"You wouldn't," Hinata challenged, praying her friend was just bluffing.

Ino merely began raising her hands until they were eye-level.

"You can't!" the heiress panicked.

Ino formed a circle with her thumb and index and middle fingers.

"P-please don't, Ino!" Hinata pleaded.

"Mind," the Yamanaka dragged out slowly and threateningly calling upon her clan's jutsu.

"B-but we are f-friends! D-don't do this to me!"

"Transfer"

"L-let's talk about this! We c-can work out a c-compromise!" Hinata begged in fear.

"Ju-" Hinata cracked. With the speed of the Raikage on crack, Hinata spilled every detail she could recount from her little peepshow.

"**Okay! He's about eight and a half inches long, 5 inches in circumference, has a very slight curve to the left, is uncircumsized, not too veiny, he is a natural blonde, and he makes this cute face when he finishes where he closes his eyes and looks almost like he's sneezing!" **Hinata had her eyes clenched shut and her arms covering her head throughout the entire confession, as if trying to physically keep the Yamanaka out of her mind.

When the heiress noticed that she still had control of her body she lowered her arms carefully and peeked her eyes open. Both of her friends were staring slack-jawed, and even Ino had a light blush. Hinata quickly mirrored it, afraid she may have gone into a little bit _too_ _much_detail in her panicked state.

Ino was the first to snap out of it, coughing awkwardly into her hand to break the silence. "So… Have you seen him yet since his little 'show'?" the blonde asked, and like that Ino and Tenten were back to their lively, bubbly selves.

Hinata, on the other hand, became serious in reaction to the question. "Actually, that is what I wanted to talk to you about," Hinata informed the self-proclaimed relationship expert in front of her, "I think Naruto-kun might be avoiding me." The look in her byakugan eyes conveyed her worry over the matter. "Is that a bad sign? Did I do something wrong? Does this mean he does not like me? What do I do now?"

Ino merely shrugged off Hinata's worries, seemingly unconcerned. Her reaction helped comfort Hinata. "Don't worry about it; Naruto's probably just feeling a bit confused right now. Give him some space to sort out his feelings for a few days; unless he's a complete baka he should be coming to you soon enough."

"It sounds like he was already _coming to her_ plenty last night," Tenten added with a sly wink, summoning a darker blush on the Hyuuga heiress' cheeks.

As Tenten and Ino continued giggling and teasing their embarrassed friend, the last of Hinata's worries were diffused by their certainty. Gathering the faith and confidence she would need to keep herself from breaking down while her love sorted out his feelings, she relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon with her friends.

* * *

The three kunoichi were at the café longer than they had intended, chatting and gossiping the afternoon away. By the time they had realized what time it was, Hinata ran off, claiming she had some 'Hyuuga clan matters' to attend to. This left only Ino and Tenten, who paid their bills and left the restaurant.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Tenten asked her friend casually as they walked.

A grin appeared on Ino's lips. "Now, we are going to find Naruto and get some info on his feelings for Hinata."

The weapon mistress was confused by this statement. "I thought you said we should give him some space?" Tenten questioned.

"No, I said **she** should give him some space. I, on the other hand, am dying to know just how well my plan is going." The ponytailed girl hummed merrily, pleased with herself for coming up with such a genius idea. _'So far, the plan sounds like it's working. Still, I want to hear it from Naruto.'_

"But how are we going to find out how he feels about Hinata without making him suspicious of something?" Tenten voiced her only concern.

Ino's smirk of superiority made its return. "Just leave it to me. After all, I **am** a Yamanaka. Our clan put the interrogation in the torture and interrogation department. Before we joined the village, all they had was a torture department."

* * *

**At the Konoha T.I. Department**

Wails and cries of pain and horror bounced off the walls of the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Department. The source of these haunting noises was holding cell number twelve. More specifically, the poor soul that had recently been captured on a recent recovery mission, and was currently being shown what the 'T' in 'T.I. Dept.' stood for by none other than Ibiki Morino.

The prisoner had his limbs strapped to his chair, and his clothes were tattered and stained with his own blood. He did not know how long he had been in this room. If he had to guess, he'd say it had been about an eternity – maybe two.

While the man panted and cried out in terror of what was to come, Ibiki walked along the wall on the far end of the room. Neatly laid out on a table in front of him was a wide assortment of weapons, tools, and ungodly devices even their creators would not recognize.

"I'll ask you again," Ibiki said in a cold, emotionless voice. The prisoner cried harder; he knew what was coming. The man's body was still aching and burning from the last time his _interrogator_ had asked him this question. "Where did you hide the scroll?"

"**I DON'T KNOW!**" the prisoner cried in agony, praying that the merciless sadist in front of him would believe him his time.

Ibiki merely smirked. Nothing pleased him more than hearing the results of his art; it was like the satisfaction of a job well done.

Within seconds, the room was filled with the prisoner's desperate cries for freedom. His voice boomed through the walls, already instilling fear into the other awaiting prisoners in the building. It was a miracle that the man had not snapped the last of his vocal cords with the sheer force behind his screams.

When Ibiki felt he had given the man enough _incentive_ to answer, he ceased his actions and repeated the question. "I'll ask you again," Ibiki stated in the same unfeeling tone. "Where did you hide the scroll?"

The man could not take the torture any more. Time after time, his captor would ask him the exact same question, with the exact same wording and exact same tone, and then the excruciating pain would follow his answer. It felt as if the cycle was an infinite loop; a never-ending hell he would have to endure until his body gave out. Then he broke.

"**OKAY! WE HANDED IT OFF TO THE ISHIDA CLAN IN SUNA FOR SAFEKEEPING!**" Though the man was very big and semmingly tough, he was reduced to a trembling heap of tears, broken by Ibiki's treatment.

Ibiki was not pleased by this answer either. "Fool! We have already confirmed that the Ishida were not involved in this! Tell me the truth!"

The prisoner snapped his eyes shut as the man in the trench coat approached him with another one of his tools, wishing that this one would just end his life.

But the pain that he was becoming accustomed to since meeting the devil in the room with him never came. He opened his eyes to see a second man holding Ibiki's hand down. His saviour had jade-green eyes, and his long blonde hair was held back in a ponytail.

"What are you doing, Inoichi?" Ibiki asked, sounding irritated.

"I've come to interrogate the prisoner myself," Inoichi answered calmly.

"There is no need, I am already in the middle of my own interrogation."

"Which has been yielding no results," the Yamanaka pointed out. Ibiki scowled at Inoichi.

"Fine. He's all yours," the pissed-off torture master said, resigning himself to leaning against the corner of the room with his arms crossed.

Inoichi approached the relieved man and placed his hand onto his forehead, performing his family's jutsu and entering the prisoner's mind.

After a couple of minutes, the blonde had returned to consciousness and turned to Ibiki. "This man is a low-level hired thug. He knows nothing. Why on earth were you still questioning him?" Inoichi asked, baffled that the head of the department had not been able to find this out after two hours with the prisoner.

Ibiki let out a low, bone-chilling chuckle as he approached the table covered in his _toys_. "I had a hunch he was lying, but I guess I was wrong," the man said casually, pulling out a scroll to seal the devices in. As the Yamanaka left the room, Ibiki said one final thing. "Oh, and Inoichi, if it isn't too much trouble, could you let the prisoner in cell five know that the man from the loud room is coming to question him?" Ibiki asked with a grin that could make Orochimaru piss his pants.

* * *

**Back With Ino and Tenten**

"Besides relationships, gathering information is my speciality," Ino finished, displaying her confidence in her abilities.

And with that, the two continued through the town in search of an elusive knucklehead.

* * *

**A/N: Did you enjoy? I'm not sure if I just made a lot of people happy with me or angry at me with that intro… LET ME KNOW IN THE REVIEWS! I just had trouble thinking of how to start off the chapter, and the whole dream teaser just popped into mind. Hope you guys don't hate me for being misleading again! It's what this fic is all about! I actually had to shove most of the planned chapter content into the next one because that lime intro took up so much space! Hope you enjoyed what I ended up actually putting in this one! It nearly had dream-sex, an ignorant Hanabi, a meddling Ino and Tenten, Ibiki, and TMI from Hinata!**

**FAVE/FOLLOW/REVIEW/WAKE UP AND EAT BREAKFAST!**


	11. Chapter 9: Illiterate Mind-Reading

**A/N: Yo, new chapter here! So sorry it took so long, I honestly don't have an excuse, I just got distracted. I apologize deeply for that. I can't promise it won't happen again though, as I will be starting my first year at University this September, so I might be not be able to upload at the pace I was maintaining before, but I'll try. Anyway, I hope you at least enjoy the chapter!**

**Also, a note to any artists following this story: I've been thinking recently about finally giving this story a cover picture. I just don't really feel like just ripping off some random picture I find online for it though. If any of you have/would like to make a good picture that would be fitting for the series, I would be glad to see it! Just message me, or send me a link, or whatever! Thnx!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. Don't believe me? Ask any other Naruto fanfiction writer, they'll tell you who Naruto belongs to.**

"Speech"

'_Thoughts'_

'_**Kyuubi Thoughts'**_**/"Kyuubi Speech in Mindscape"**

* * *

In a barbeque restaurant in Konohagakure no sato, two meddling kunoichi sat together, each equally befuddled by the abnormality across from them. Glancing above her menu at the table across from her, Tenten commented on the mysterious happening. "I didn't even know Yakiniku Barbeque served ramen."

The kunoichi continued watching Konoha's knuckleheaded ninja eating across from them. Both were still dumbfounded to find that the ramen addict was actually eating someplace other than his beloved Ichiraku's.

"Me either," Ino agreed. "Strange recipe though. It doesn't look like there are any noodles in that pork ramen…"

"Or broth…" Tenten added. While the pair failed to wrap their heads around the concept of Naruto eating anything other than ramen, they remembered the reason why they had tracked the blonde down.

Shaking their heads clear of their disbelief, Tenten turned back to Ino. "So, how do you plan on getting the info from Naruto without him getting suspicious?"

"Simple; I'm going to handle this Yamanaka style." Ino crossed her arms and donned a self-confident smirk.

"So you're going to use your Mind Transfer jutsu?"

The blonde Yamanaka immediately pouted indignantly at her friend's question. She turned her head to the side, appearing to be quite offended. "Really, Tenten? Is that all I am to you? A one-trick pony? For your information, the Yamanaka's have a vast arsenal of powerful clan techniques with plenty of useful applications, not just the Mind Transfer jutsu."

Tenten released an exasperated sigh. "Ok, calm down," she said placatingly, "So just what _powerful, applicable clan technique_ are you going to use?"

"First of all, stop mocking me. Second of all, it's a technique I have been working on recently and I've been dying to try it out. It was designed to intercept the jutsu of other clans with techniques similar to the Yamanaka's or telepathic communications, but considering the fact that a shadow clone's memories are passed to the original after its destruction, I should be able to intercept their thoughts too. So all I have to do is challenge Naruto to a spar, pop a couple of his shadow clones, go through their thoughts, and I'll know exactly how the dobe feels for Hinata!"

Rather than sharing her friend's enthusiasm, the weapon mistress seemed rather unimpressed. "I dunno, that just sounds like a lot more work. Why can't you just hit him with your mind transfer right now?"

"Because!" Ino retorted, wagging a disapproving finger in Tenten's face, " If I just possess him here and now, there's a chance he could realize I was in his mind, and the last thing we want is him thinking something is up. With my other technique, there's no way he could ever catch on!"

Tenten knew she would never be able to win this argument. Ino was as stubborn as Naruto was dense. So, in the end, she just conceded and went along with the mind-walker's plan, despite it seeming more complicated and time-consuming.

* * *

Before too long, the two blonde ninjas found themselves standing face-to-face in one of the many training grounds of the village. Naruto, not being one to back down from a challenge, accepted the sparring request as eagerly as expected. However Tenten, who was well aware of the inhuman stamina of the orange-clad shinobi, opted to wait for Ino in the next training field over rather than tire herself out unnecessarily.

After a few warm-up stretches, the two quickly got to it. The ever impatient Uzumaki was the first to go on the offensive, ambushing Ino with a barrage of punches. Though it was close, the Yamanaka managed to dodge most of the attacks, and after blocking the final fist, countered with a string of attacks of her own.

The spar continued in this manner for some time, each switching between attacking and defending, neither receiving any serious blows. Unfortunately, Naruto had yet to summon any of his shadow clones. Ino had to change this.

The ponytailed blonde proceeded to pull out all the stops. She reached into her weapon pouch and began to overwhelm her opponent with a flurry of kunai. Naruto matched her efforts by utilizing his own weapons. Ino refused to let up though, fighting with furious aggressiveness in an attempt to push the whiskered ninja to the edge.

Before now, Ino had never realized just how strong Naruto was. She had him on the defensive, but it was taking everything she had to keep it that way. Fortunately, her efforts paid off before she ran out of energy, as Naruto had backed away to summon a group of his shadow clones.

Ino smirked when she saw her five new opponents. _'Perfect. Time for the plan,'_ Ino thought to herself. She focusing her chakra to prepare for the technique she was about to use. Without hesitation she darted to the nearest shadow clone and sent it a flying kick. Ino prepared to intercept the thoughts of the dispersed chakra body when her foot connected, except…

It didn't. Rather than being greeted with the telltale 'poof' and cloud of smoke of a defeated shadow clone, her foot met nothing but thin air. Ino sailed straight through the clone, landing flat on her ass a few feet away.

"Eh? Wh… What the hell just happened?" a clueless Ino asked herself. Naruto could not handle the sight of the wide-eyed, confused Yamanaka falling straight to the ground, and broke into a fit of laughter, along with all his clones.

Ino, ignoring the embarrassment of being humiliated by the laughing Narutos, could only think of one explanation for her predicament. _'Wait, is this… The clone technique? But Naruto can't make regular clones! When did he learn this? Uh oh, this is not good…'_

* * *

Tenten, who had been testing out Shikamaru's hobby of cloud watching for the last couple hours, suddenly shot up to her feet when she saw her ponytailed friend approach the training ground. She seemed completely exhausted. Her clothes were soaked in sweat, her hair was messy, her feet were dragging on the ground, and her breaths were heavy.

"So, did you get the dirt on Naruto?" the weapon mistress asked.

Ino groaned. "No. I couldn't get him to make any shadow clones! He didn't even need any to form his rasengan! He must have learned to do it alone sometime..." she whined. The disappointment she felt for the failure of her plan was evident in her voice.

"So… Back to plan A?"

Ino sighed in defeat. "Fine. Mind Transfer jutsu it is," she responded very unenthusiastically.

* * *

After Ino regained enough energy to pull off her family's trademark jutsu, the two once again tracked down their boisterous target. The pair managed to spot him on his way back to his apartment. Ino and Tenten travelled over the village rooftops until they reached an alley just ahead of Naruto. There, the two waited in hiding for the blonde shinobi to walk by.

"Ok, so here's the plan: when Naruto walks by, I'll use my Mind Transfer jutsu to enter his mind. I'll check out the fantasy section of his brain. If my previous plan is working well, it should be filled with Hinata. You – catch my body so I don't just fall and hit my head. You have no idea how much of a headache it gives me to come back into a body with an already sore head."

"Hai!" Tenten responded, giving a salute to her leader in this reconnaissance mission of love.

Within a few minutes, their unsuspecting target walked within eyesight of the two kunoichi camped in the alleyway. Taking aim, Ino called upon the famed Yamanaka technique and entered the knucklehead's head.

* * *

**Within Naruto's Mindscape**

While Ino continued to make Naruto's body walk down the streets of Konoha, she stealthily searched through his mind, attempting to keep the shinobi from being alerted of her presence.

"Hmm… Well this looks weird," Ino commented as she took in her surroundings. She was standing in a shallow pool of water inside what appeared to be some sort of run-down sewer. "Strange… I've never seen a mind with a fantasy section like this… I thought there would be more ramen, and Naruto in Hokage robes… But this is just so… empty…"

As she looked from side to side for any of the sort of mental projections she had been expecting, she noticed something that seemed quite out-of-place in this setting. Just a few feet to her right were a row of iron bars which stretched all the way from the ground to the exceedingly-high ceiling.

"…Okay, I've never seen **anything** like **this** in someone's mind… What is this? It looks sorta like a prison cell, or a cage of some sort… Maybe it's a metaphor for Naruto's repressed sexuality? 'Cause that would actually explain a lot…"

As she walked towards the cell, shivers crawled up her spine. The mind-walker could not shake the sense of foreboding emanating from it, but pressed on against her better judgement. As she easily slipped between the huge gaps in the bars, a faint sound hit her ears. Almost like a very deep, slow breathing. The deeper she went into the pitch-black, the louder and more rapidly the noises came, until it became a quiet, but unmistakeable suppressed chuckle.

After one more step, a loud thump sounded behind her, shaking the ground beneath her, and a faint red glow lit the room from behind her.

"Aah!" Ino cried in shock and fear, frozen in place. The chuckling sound merely became louder. Soon, a loud, low, booming voice spoke out to her.

"**Heheheh… It has been a long time since I have had some… **_**female company.**_** Ah yes, a fine plaything you are indeed…"**

Curiosity outweighed fear, and the terrified Yamanaka cautiously turned around to meet the resident of Naruto's mind speaking to her. Her eyes widened and her voice caught in her throat. In front of her was something she would never have expected. Slowly approaching her was a giant fox, which was currently revealing a giant, throbbing…

* * *

**Back in the Real World**

"Aaaaaahhhhhh!" Ino cried as her limp body shot back up. She let out a sigh of relief after she found that she had successfully fled Naruto's mind.

"What is it?" a startled and concerned Tenten asked the girl in her arms.

Catching her breath, Ino responded, "Either I went into the wrong part of Naruto's mind, or that freak is into bestiality." The clueless blonde shuddered at the mentally scarring sight from just before she left the dense boy's mind.

"…I seriously hope it's the first one…" Tenten thought out loud. "So you didn't manage to find out how the knucklehead feels about Hinata?"

"No…" Ino answered shamefully. "We're gonna have to get some help for this. I'll go get my team and Naruto's. Tenten you get Hinata's team, Lee and Neji –"

"Oh no!" the weapon mistress interjected disapprovingly, "There is no way I'm going to ask that long-haired baka for help."

"You still mad at him, huh?"

"Very."

"So he still hasn't manned-up and apologized? Men; when will they learn. You should really do something to teach him a lesson," Ino suggested.

"Don't worry about that, he's already suffering plenty." Tenten grew a wicked smirk. "I've been holding out on him since our fight."

"Good for you!" Ino praised between giggles, "That oughta teach him! I'm sure he isn't happy about that one bit."

"Definitely not. He's actually been really irritable lately because of it. Personally, I'd hate to be the guy to get on his bad side," Tenten declared almost sympathetically.

* * *

**In Naruto's Apartment**

Naruto, who had just arrived home, let out a loud sneeze. Afterwards, he reluctantly proceeded with the task at hand. He stared down at the porcelain toilet bowl, glaring at it as though it were mocking it.

As a yellow stream began to flow into it, Naruto clenched his teeth as his face contorted into an expression of pain.

'_**Still hurts to piss, huh kit?'**_ his demon tenant asked.

'_Hell yes! I didn't even know I had tenketsu there!'_

'_**Oh yeah, there everywhere,'**_ the know-it-all fox responded indifferently.

'_Gee, thanks captain obvious!'_ Naruto retorted snidely. _'Say, why don't you actually be useful and open up the tenketsu again? All the other ones have already healed.'_

'_**Trust me kit, you don't want me to force **_**that**_** tenketsu open.'**_

'_Ugggghhhhh,'_ Naruto mentally groaned._ 'There has to be __**something**__ I can do about this! I don't know how long I can go on like this!'_

'_**Well… When I get a sore muscle, usually a good massage does the trick,'**_ the kyuubi suggested.

Naruto took a second to think on this. _'Hmm… Well, I guess it's worth a try…'_ After finishing his business, the dense shinobi tried out the demon fox's idea.

'_Ugh… agh… No good, it feels way too rough, even when I go gently. I don't think the massage idea is working…'_

'_**Hmm… Perhaps if you had something like the massage oils masseuses use, it would help out with the sensitivity issue.'**_

Naruto looked around his bathroom for anything of use. He spotted a bottle of lotion near the sink. Figuring it was probably the closest thing he would find in his room, he applied a generous amount and tried the kyuubi's idea again.

'_**How's that feel, kit?'**_

'_A bit better… It still hurts though. I think my hands are just too rough for this.'_

'_**Hm, perhaps. You could use someone with a gentler touch, like that Hinata vixen.'**_

'_Mmm… Yeah,' _Naruto agreed absent-mindedly, his thoughts drifting to Hinata's smooth, delicate hands _massaging_ his member.

'_**Yes, I am sure she would give you a proper rub-down. Perhaps she could even make use of those luscious mounds of hers; I am sure those must be nice and soft.'**_

'_Mmm… Yeah – Wait!'_ the blonde teen mentally shouted as he suddenly became aware of the impact of the fox's words due to the growing mass in his lubricated hands. _'You did that on purpose, didn't you!'_ he accused his sealed demon.

'_**Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Either way, I think you might want to go and get that picture if you want to fix this new **_**situation**_**.'**_

The image of the picture he had received from Hinata was **not** helping his situation. _'But… But won't doing _that _hurt more?'_ Naruto questioned.

'_**Don't worry, I already re-opened your tenketsu while you were spaced out.'**_

Indeed he had. Naruto was so lost in thought that he had not noticed the pain from his previously afflicted appendage had ceased. The horny shinobi mentally growled at the realization that the scheming demon had tricked him. _'You manipulative bastard fox...'_

'_**Just shut up and get the picture,'**_ the kyuubi demanded slowly and huskily. He could not wait to see the glorious image he had waited sixteen years for again.

Though he tried to resist, Naruto ultimately gave in, and reluctantly got to work.

* * *

The next day, after regular team training, the Konoha 11 (with the exceptions of Naruto, Hinata, and Neji) were all gathered in a park on the outskirts of town. Most of the shinobi were curious as to why they were all brought together like this. Kiba was the first to vocalize this question.

"So why exactly are we all here anyway?" All eyes immediately went to Ino and Tenten.

"Well you see," Ino started, "I am sure you're all aware of Hinata's crush on Naruto." This was met by nods of agreement. "We have been trying to get the two of them together for a while, and we think we may have finally cracked through Naruto's thick skull." Many of the group released a disbelieving chuckle or 'pfft' at this. "Anyway, we're trying to find out just how Naruto feels towards Hinata, but the problem is… Well, we can't. That's where you guys come in!" Ino finished enthusiastically.

"So you want us to play matchmaker for Hinata and the baka? Why should I waste my time on this? I'm outta here," Kiba complained, walking off with his arms crossed.

"Because," Ino called out to the dog breeder, "if you help us, we'll cool it with the dog jokes for a whole month."

Kiba's ears perked at this. He stopped walking, but still faced away from the group. "That is, unless you're just gonna walk away like a stray…"

"Fine!" Kiba interjected, delighted by the prospect of not having to listen to any more of the canine-themed teasing he had been receiving lately. It had really been getting old.

"Look," Ino said to the group, "we owe it to our friends to help them out with this. Hinata really likes Naruto. But for the longest time, Naruto has been so preoccupied chasing some silly childhood crush that the dobe has been completely blind to the fact that there is a great person who cares very much for him right under his nose."

A sneeze came from the group of ninjas. "Gazuntite, Sakura," Tenten said.

"Anyway," Ino continued, "we're just trying to make the both of them happy, and we need your help."

Shikamaru sat up and averted his gaze from the passing clouds to pose a question. "So what exactly do you want all of us to do?" Rather than being given an answer, all the other ninjas instead turned to him, waiting expectantly for him to provide the solution.

After an annoyed sigh, Shikamaru muttered a quiet "Troublesome…" Looking back to the _leaders_ of the operation, he lazily said, "Fine, just leave it to me. I'll go talk to the dobe and see if I can find anything out."

"Awesome! Thanks Shika!" Ino, along with the rest of the group, offered enthusiastic thank you's and pats on the back. The lazy Nara returned their sentiments with a weak, insincere smile.

* * *

The group found the whiskered shinobi walking down a road in the market district. He seemed to be tired, most likely due to the large box he was carrying in his hands.

The group quickly dipped into a nearby store and pretended to be shopping. They tried to avoid drawing attention to themselves so their target would not notice them or become suspicious of anything. The genius of the gang was forcefully pushed onto the street by Ino and Tenten, and slowly made his way to Naruto.

"Hey, Naruto! What's up?" he called out to the blonde. Naruto turned around and met his comrade with a wide smile.

"Yo, Shikamaru! How's it goin'?"

"Pretty good. What have you got there?" Shikamaru inquired, pointing at the large package in Naruto's hands.

"Oh, this?" Suddenly Naruto's face lost the childlike expression of joy he was known for. "Ero-sennin has got me on delivery duty again. The old perv just released one of his new books, and he's got me delivering them to all the Konoha book stores."

Suddenly the boy's face shot up again, as he put on an innocent, almost pleading look. "Think maybe you could help me out, pal? Eh, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru looked Naruto in the eye. The jinchuuriki was staring back at him with a friendly smile glued to his face. His eyes sparkled in hope. Then he looked at the package. It seemed pretty heavy. And who knew how many he would need to carry if he agreed to help; Konoha had a lot of book stores. Then he looked to the store where the rest of the gang was hiding. Ino would undoubtedly give him a good scolding if he backed out now. Then he looked back at Naruto. It would be rude if he refused to help, and even he was curious if the dobe would ever return Hinata's feelings. Then he looked back at the package…

"Ahh… Troublesome…" And with that he walked off in the other direction.

Naruto glared at his friend's backside as he walked away. "Good for nothing, lazy ass…" Naruto muttered under his breath.

* * *

The rest of the Konoha 11 facepalmed at the Nara's display of laziness. "Okay, since Shika has abandoned us," Ino addressed the group, "who else has got any ideas?"

The shinobi spent the next twenty minutes brainstorming and bickering amongst themselves, trying to come up with a plan of action. Eventually the suggestions became more and more ridiculous, and the group had yet to come up with a solid idea. Eventually Kiba, who had remained rather indifferent to the cause, had enough of it and stepped forward.

"I can't take any more of this crap. You guys are making this out to be way tougher than it actually is. Just step aside and let me handle this so we can all get this over with." With that remark the dog user led the group in once again tracking down the orange-clad ninja.

* * *

The gang found Naruto outside of a bookstore after having just dropped off a shipment of the new Icha Icha novel. Kiba and Akamaru separated from the group and jogged up to Naruto to walk beside him.

"Yo Naruto, good to see ya man," Kiba greeted.

"Hey Kiba, how's it goin'?" Naruto greeted back.

"Okay, how 'bout you?"

Naruto released an annoyed grunt. "Pretty shitty actually."

"Aw, I'm sorry to hear that dude. Hey! I know! How about I get your mind off of your troubles with a little game?" the dog user suggested.

"A game? Sure!" Naruto replied with his usual care-free attitude. "What game?"

A sly grin popped onto the Inuzuka's face. "It's called 'Kill, Fuck, Marry.' It's pretty simple: I just name three girls, and you tell me who you'd kill, who you'd fuck, and who you'd marry, and why."

"Alright! Bring it on!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly.

"Okay… How about…" Kiba said, feigning deep thought, "Sakura, Hinata, and… uh…. Ino?"

"Hmmm…" Naruto gave each of these options consideration before announcing his first choice. "Well… I'd definitely have to kill Sakura…"

"EH?!" Kiba burst out. To say that he was surprised would be a tremendous understatement. _'I thought he used to have a huge crush on the chick! I mean, I guess it's good for Hinata and all that he's over her, but still… I didn't expect him to put her into the __**kill**__ category!'_ "How come?" Kiba asked, attempting to restrain his disbelief.

"Simple," Naruto answered with certainty, "She'd kill **me** if I ever tried to fuck or marry her."

Kiba facepalmed himself. The knucklehead was obviously not getting the point of the game. "Yeah, but what if she wouldn't?"

In a serious tone, Naruto replied, "I'm not willing to take that chance."

"Whatever, so who would you fuck and marry then?" the frustrated ninja asked.

"Hmm… Hey, if I'm going to marry one of them, wouldn't that mean that I would fuck them too?"

"Well… Uh… Ye…" Kiba was at a loss for words. This clueless dobe was really getting on his nerves. Why did he have to question everything!? "…I guess so. Just answer already!" Kiba snapped, losing his patience.

"Okay! Okay!" Naruto said placatingly, waving his hands in front of himself defensively. He then went back to his thinking. "Kiba?"

Kiba turned to face his friend with a menacing glare that had Naruto nearly flinching. "What is it now?" he asked, barely suppressing a growl.

"W-well," the fearful jinchuuriki started nervously, "Do I **have** to pick someone for marry **and** fuck? I mean, wouldn't that be cheating?"

Kiba began attempting to pull his hair out. _'Why can't he just play the damn game!'_ "It's just hypothetical!" he barked out.

"Oh, I get it," Naruto said. Kiba sighed in relief. Finally, he was starting to get how the game worked. Suddenly the blonde teen closed his eyes and began rubbing his temples in concentration. "Okay, so if I were a two-timing teme, who would I pick…"

"Aaaaaauuuuuggggggggghhhhhhh! ! ! THAT'S **NOT** WHAT I MEANT!"

* * *

After walking with Naruto for a while, Kiba returned to the group with his head hung in shame. His seemingly sweet and simple plan had failed, as Naruto had completely failed to grasp the nature of the game. Of course, this meant the gang was back to the drawing boards.

After another round of brainstorming, Shino pitched his idea. Pushing up his glasses, he told the others in a dull monotone, "You know, when a person is attracted to a potential partner, they produce chemicals called 'pheromones' as a reaction. Not everyone can smell them, however my kikaichu beetles can dete–"

"Hey, that's right!" Kiba interrupted, "All we need to do is get the two lovebirds together, and with my enhanced sense of smell I should be able to tell if that knucklehead is into her!"

"…Well, I can see I am not needed here," Shino commented, though the remark seemed to fall on deaf ears. With that, the bug tamer left the group completely unnoticed. Even with his almost fully covered face, one could still see a hint of dejection grace his few visible features.

"How are we gonna get the two of them together though?" Choji asked.

"Simple," Kiba replied with a smirk, "Naruto's out delivering his sensei's newest book right now. He said that his sensei is the one that writes all those Icha Icha books, right?"

"Yeah, those are the books that Kakashi-sensei is always reading," Sakura stated.

"Right, and do you know who else loves Icha Icha?" Kiba asked rhetorically.

* * *

Kiba was waiting patiently in the bookstore, pretending to be browsing their selection of literature. As he looked through the loaded bookshelves, he kept his ears open for the tone of the bell on the front door which would make anyone in the store aware of a new customer entering. The fourth time the bell rang, he glanced over to the door to find one of the people he had been waiting for.

The plan to get Naruto and Hinata together was quite simple really. The group had found and asked Jiraiya where Naruto's next delivery was going to be. With that knowledge, the rest was just a matter of misdirection. The dog breeder had casually mentioned to his kunoichi teammate that the new installment of the Icha Icha series had just arrived in town, and told her that a certain shop was even selling special-edition copies of the novel. The shop Kiba mentioned was, of course, the next one on Naruto's delivery schedule. The Hyuuga had acted uninterested in this news, but her teammate could tell that she had fallen for it, hook line and sinker.

Hinata entered the bookstore, wasting no time in heading to the section which usually carried her beloved Icha Icha novels. After a few minutes of searching through the series, she was confused to find the newest addition missing. Hinata went up to the clerk and asked where she could find the book. The clerk informed her that they were expecting the new shipment to arrive any minute now, but the man knew nothing about a special edition version, which disappointed Hinata greatly.

The patient Hyuuga decided to wait for the book to come in, as it would not be long and she wanted to get to reading the new erotic novel as soon as possible. With flawless timing, right as Hinata began browsing for any other books of interest, Naruto entered the shop.

Hinata was overjoyed to see a man enter the store carrying a large box labelled 'Icha Icha'. However, the heiress' excited face soon went red as she realized who was carrying said box. Though the person's face was obstructed by the package, Hinata could tell through the person's attire alone who they were.

Her face burned as she thought back to the scene outside his apartment two nights ago. Hinata had not seen her crush since that night, and had been unable to get the images out of her mind. She merely stared as the orange-clad ninja walked up to the front counter and dropped the box, once again revealing his handsome face.

When the blonde turned around to leave, Hinata panicked. Utilizing all the stealth skills she had developed in her past years of following her crush, she slid to the back of the store before Naruto caught sight of her.

This posed a problem for Kiba's plan. Apparently Hinata had **really** taken the 'give him some space' advice to heart. The Inuzuka looked back to the clueless jinchuuriki, who was just about to exit the store. Before he could do so, Kiba ran up to him in an attempt to salvage his plan.

"Hey, Naruto! Fancy running into you again!"

"Yeah, what are the chances!" Naruto responded, unaware that these meetings were no coincidence.

"So, has your sensei still got you running around town to deliver his books?"

"Yeah," Naruto grumbled in response, "The old perv's too cheap to hire someone to do it, and too lazy to do it himself, so he always sticks me with it."

"You know what? I say you've earned a break. Why not take some time off and browse around here with me? Maybe you'll be able to find some good reading material," Kiba suggested slyly.

"I dunno, I don't really read much," Naruto said in an unsure voice.

"Come on! I'm sure there's something here that'll pique your interest dude! Here, I'll show you where all the best books are!"

Without giving his companion the chance to decline, Kiba grabbed Naruto by the arm and started dragging him towards the aisle he saw Hinata hide in. Before they got to her though, the heiress scurried off into another aisle, hiding behind the shelves between them.

"Oops, wrong aisle. The **really** good books are over here!"

The three continued this game of hide-and-seek for some time, Kiba dragging Naruto around the store while Hinata continued to evade them. Somehow, the sneaky Hyuuga actually managed to snag a copy of the new Icha Icha novel while they were still being stocked onto the shelves, and made it to the front counter and threw down the correct amount of money. Unfortunately for her, before she could reach the exit, Naruto and Kiba appeared before her.

Panicking, Hinata did the only thing she could. She opened her new novel and buried her face inside of it, hoping Naruto and Kiba had not noticed her. _'What a lame disguise,'_ Hinata berated herself. _'There is no way either of them will fall for this. Now Naruto's going to see me, and Ino's plan is going to be ruined, all because I could not follow one simple order.'_

Surrendering to her fate, Hinata continued forward to the door, convinced that her crush would recognize her.

As expected, Naruto noticed her as she walked by, and decided to offer a friendly greeting. "Hey Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto said offhandedly to the only person he knew that would openly immerse himself in those smut novels in public. Hinata merely gave a wave in response, never removing her head from the book. When he turned back to Kiba, the boy was sweat-dropping and at a complete loss for words. Meanwhile, a pleasantly surprised Hinata exited the store and immediately sprinted around the corner.

* * *

"So, anybody else got any ideas?" Ino asked to the rest of the group. The gang were once again back to the drawing boards after yet another failed attempted to get any insight on Naruto's feelings for Hinata.

This time, Sai raised his hand to put forth an idea. "What's your plan, Sai-kun?" a suddenly cheery Ino cooed. Tenten just rolled her eyes at her friend. Sai donned his usual fake smile and began to speak.

"Well, I was thinking of something else involving pheromones. Not only do men excrete them when they are attracted to another, but they can also become attracted to or subconsciously aroused by the scent of a female's pheromones. Therefore, if Naruto is attracted to Hinata, he would react to her pheromones. I once read in a book that there is the largest concentration of female pheromones in their urine. Therefore, if we can just get a urine sample from Hinata and –"

"**NO!**" everyone else shouted at once, shutting down the ANBU's idea.

While the gang resumed discussing other methods of getting the desired info from Naruto, Lee seemed to be growing increasingly restless. He was visibly shaking, and seemed almost as if he were angry. Suddenly, the spandex wearing shinobi could no longer contain himself.

"I cannot do this anymore! Sneaking around behind my friend and comrade's back in order to learn of his most private and intimate feelings! It is most unyouthful!" Lee burst out. "However, it is for the noble cause of love! For that, I shall simply be direct with Naruto-kun and try to get him to return Hinata-chan's feelings!" Lee finished with his finger pointed to the sky.

"Wait Lee, stop!" Ino hollered to the green blur. Unfortunately, the taijutsu expert's speed was unrivaled, as he easily outran all the other ninjas in his rush to get to Naruto.

* * *

Eventually the group lost Lee. After spending some time trying to track down the boy to stop him from revealing Hinata's biggest secret to her crush, the ninjas eventually gave up. Later on, Sakura spotted the Green Beast in the direction they were walking. The shinobi promptly ambushed Lee, surrounding him.

"What did you do, Lee?!" Ino asked loudly in the disobedient ninja's face.

Lee was no longer feeling at ease, and was sweating from intimidation. "I-I just told Naruto-kun how Hinata-chan felt for him! He said he completely returns her feelings, and he is even going to ask her out on a date!" Lee stammered out in a rush.

This caught the others off guard. Ino eased up suddenly, disbelieving of what she heard. Many of the others mimicked her reaction. The ponytailed kunoichi opened and closed her mouth, trying to find the correct words to say for a good couple of minutes before any sound actually came out.

"Well… Uh… Good job, Lee…" Ino congragulated her comrade disbelievingly.

"Yeah… Oh well, I'm sure Hinata will forgive us for spilling the beans once Naruto asks her out," Tenten said with a small smile. Surely her friend would not be too mad at them for embarrassing her once she witnessed the results.

"Besides, we'll still have a few days between when he asks her out and when she regains consciousness," Kiba joked. The entire gang joined in the laughter after that joke.

Their mission being complete, the group of worn out ninjas finally split up.

* * *

**Half an Hour Earlier**

Lee finally found the knuckleheaded jinchuuriki he was searching for outside a restaurant on the east end of the village.

"There you are, Naruto-kun!" Lee called out eagerly.

Naruto turned around to face his friend. "Hey bushy-brow! You looking for me?"

"Yes, Naruto-kun! I have something of great importance to tell you!" Lee began dramatically. "You see, one cannot truly enjoy the springtime of youth alone! In order to reach our true potentials, we must search for another to kindle our flames of youth!"

"Uh huh," Naruto responded.

"You see, Hinata-chan is like… a lotus flower that has yet to blossom. She yearns to bask in the sunlight of your youth before she can do so, and reveal her true inner beauty to the world!" Lee declared emotionally, tears streaming down his face. "Do you know what I mean, Naruto-kun?"

"Yep."

"And surely you must share her desires and passion, do you not?"

"Yeah."

"That is most excellent! Then please, you must make your feelings known! Hinata-chan's flames of youth will continue to grow dim in solitude if you do not! Will you heed my advice and unite together in this, your springtime of youth?" Lee asked, hopeful for his friends' happiness.

"Of course," Naruto responded, still feigning understanding. The blonde may be dense, but he knew better than to question Lee when he was in the middle of one of his speeches about youth. It was far better to just get through it quickly and painlessly. The sooner he was done, the sooner Naruto could eat.

"This is fantastic news! I shall leave you to it at once! You will not regret this, Naruto!" Lee declared excitedly, finishing off with a nice guy pose. He then ran off, leaving Naruto to enjoy his dinner.

* * *

**A/N: How was the chappie? It had the all the Konoha 11 (except Neji), Kurama, Mnd Transfer jutsu, some biology (I legit read a little about pheromones online, and that's how I got the inspiration for Sai's suggestion), and lots of youth! See you next chapter!**

**FAVE/FOLLOW/REVIEW/REPEAT!**


	12. Chapter 10: Return of the Feels

**A/N: I'm back, with my longest chapter yet! So 'bout the length, but I wanted to end it at a certain spot and there just ended up being more than I thought in the middle. This chapter has a lot more feels than the others (and there will be more to come throughout the series), but I kept the comedic element in there too, hopefully it provides a good contrast instead of just clashing/not working. **

**This chap marks a sorta milestone for me. When I got the idea for this, I just wanted to make it a one-shot. When I started writing it, it grew into a series. When I began the series, I thought it would end up 10 chaps ABSOLUTE MAX POSSIBLE. Today, I release that tenth chapter, and I'm not even close to done. (12 chaps if u include the prologue and omake)**

**Thanks to all my reviewers, followers, and favouriters, for your feedback, support, and convincing me to keep this going. This started out as sort of an exercise; an easy fanfic suited to my personality to get me some practice before I wrote a more serious one, but hey, I'm a comedian (and perv) at heart, I'll have plenty of time to write more emotional, or darker, or whateverer fanfics later on. I fucking enjoy this.**

**To all my reviewers from last chapter, thanks for all the positive ones, glad you enjoyed. I received probly my most negative one yet, but hey – there's no 1 fanfic for every reader, but there are many fanfics for every 1 reader. JanetteUzumaki: Sorry you missed #100, maybe you'll get the 200****th**** spot? (I wish) And finally, to all those of you who got frustrated with the gimmick of this series and called me a tease…**

…**You're welcome…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. He is owned by a prick who would have Naruto ignore Hinata's confession for over 200 episodes (yes, I watch the anime, got nothing against manga though, come at me manga purists), then lie to his father that Sakura is his girlfriend right in front of the poor girl. **

"Speech"

'_Thoughts' _(ex: _'I seriously need to stop rambling and shorten my intros, it probly annoys everyone'_)

'_**Kyuubi Thought'**_**/"Kyuubi Speech in Mindscape"**

* * *

The following two weeks were not pleasant for anyone. In the nearby Land of Oil, bandits had overturned nearly all forms of local law enforcement. This left the residents of the land with no other option than to come to the hidden leaf for aid, resulting in a steep rise in missions. The shinobi of the leaf were requested to deal with all sorts of crime, both major and minor.

It was a good source of income for Konoha, but also a large burden. Do to the large quantities of mission requests, much of the ninja forces of the hidden village were constantly called upon, leaving the village short on manpower. Higher-level shinobi were often sent to complete lower-level missions due to this shortage, and some squads had even been stationed in villages throughout the land indefinitely, until they could recover.

Many shinobi had mixed reactions to this. Many of the rookie genin squads were excited by the amount of experience and excitement they were able to receive, compared to the boring D-rank missions they were used to. As Konohamaru put it, "I'd take catching a cat burglar over catching a cat any day!" Many of the jonins and chuunins though were quite annoyed to be constantly asked to perform their relatively simple missions.

Hinata, personally, was glad to have the distraction. Since she was continuously preoccupied with missions, it was much easier to give Naruto the space Ino had told her to. Of course she had hoped it would not take this long, but with the circumstances it could not be helped. Naruto was just as busy as she was, so the two had very little free time to deal with personal issues.

Today however, the fates had a different plan for the star-crossed would-be couple. This day, Hinata and her team stepped into the Hokage's office for their usual mission assignment, only to be joined shortly after by a familiar face: Naruto Uzumaki.

Apparently, the bandits who had put the Land of Oil into its current chaotic state had finally been located. They were constantly on the move though, so their current location would only prove useful as a reference point to further track them from. Naturally team 8 had been chosen for this job because the squad specialized in tracking. While the bandits were no match for the trained ninja of the leaf, the group was quite large. With the bandit camp out of the way, the Land of Oil would be able to recover much faster and remove a huge burden from Konoha, so naturally Tsunade did not want to mess this up. While team 8 was more than capable of taking out the threat, their large numbers meant sending in such a small team ran the risk of allowing some of the bandits to escape. That was where Naruto came in. Due to his proficiency with the Kage Bunshin technique, sending him in was the equivalent of sending in an army. With Naruto backing up team 8, it would be next to impossible for any of the outlaws to flee.

The mission was simple: track down and eliminate the threat by any means necessary. While this task would normally have been rather simple and unintimidating, Hinata found herself more nervous to go on this mission than any other she had been on in a long time.

She would not let her nerves get the better of her though. This was her chance to prove herself to the one she loved. With the prospect that Naruto could possibly start seeing her as more than just a friend, there was too much riding on this to screw up. The determined Hyuuga would not revert back to the timid, unfocused, weak girl she had been when she was younger. No, she would show him that she was a strong kunoichi worthy of his love. No, she would demand it!

With the will to make a good impression for Naruto in mind, Hinata left the office with her team to pack for the mission.

* * *

The mission started off like any other. All of the members of the group packed and met by the south gates an hour later. The last known location of the gang of bandits was not very far, less than two days travel. Once there, team 8 went to work trying to pick up on their trail. Between Kiba and Akamaru's sense of smell, Shino's kikaichu beetles and Hinata's byakugan vision, doing so was an easy task.

Soon after arriving at the location, Kiba was able to tell that the targets had left just a few days ago, meaning they could not be too far. Given the speed ninjas travel at compared to others, it would not take long to catch up to them. The team determined which way the bandits had gone and left.

Hinata had been channelling every bit of willpower she had to remain professional. She refused to let her close proximity to Naruto distract her. The two had not spoken to each other much besides strategy and some normal pleasantries. Still, she could not help but glance in his direction while he was looking away. Unbeknownst to her, he had been giving her some looks as well.

The hardest were the nights. The shinobi all shared a tent, which was both a blessing and a curse for the Hyuuga heiress. She loved being so close to the blonde, but at the same time loathed that they had to share the tent with her two teammates. She loved looking at his peaceful sleeping face, but was unable to get any sleep herself. If it were not for Kiba and Shino, she would be making sure her crush did not get any sleep either…

Hinata managed to survive all of the tension though, and just two days after leaving the abandoned bandit camp, she spotted the travelling outlaws with her doujutsu. It was just past noon, and the group was unaware of their presence. With a quick round of nods from the squad of shinobi, they jumped into action and carried out the plan.

* * *

The bandits had been walking for nearly four hours now. They had recently raided a town near the eastern end of the Land of Oil, and were heading west to the next village. These bandits had travelled extensively throughout the country, so they were used to the long treks. However, today many of the criminals seemed to be getting tired faster than usual.

"Man, there are a hell of a lotta pests in this forest," a large bandit in a black bandana and open red vest commented. He, along with many others of their gang, was periodically swatting away the flying insects which had seemingly come from out of nowhere.

A short, bald man was the next to speak out. "Can't we take a break? Come on, you guys are just as exhausted as I am! Don't deny it!" The whiny bandit was right. Many of the group had been panting and sweating profusely for the last little bit of their walk.

The bandit at the front of the caravan came to a full halt. All those behind him mirrored his action. This man was obviously their leader.

"All right," he called out, "everyone get some rest. We'll break for an hour. Just remember, we only got enough supplies to last us 'til the end of the week, and we're still a good four days away from Samisaro village, so we can't afford to make this a habit."

All of the bandits were glad to get the break. The gang of criminals took their seats on logs, stumps, or just the plain ground and started to catch their breath. Many of the men were taking generous pulls from their canteens, while others were gathering in small groups and pulling decks of cards out of their pockets and began gambling away their shares of the bounty from the last village they pillaged.

That is when team 8 struck. While the bandits let their guards down to replenish their energy, Kiba, Shino and Hinata descended from the trees where they had been silently observing the caravan. Before anyone had time to react, the ninjas began to unceremoniously beat the shit out of the nearest targets.

"Shinobi!" a bandit with the luck to be outside of the ninja squad's attack range cried out. Within seconds all of the outlaws had either heard the many cries of warning or seen the intruders firsthand. The bandits hurriedly armed themselves with a wide assortment of swords, spears, knives, and clubs. Still, the bandits were no match for the trained and experienced Leaf shinobi.

Bandits were sent flying away by swift gatsuugas, swarmed by hordes of insects, and completely disabled by precise juuken blows. Even with the advantage of numbers, the gang of brutes did not stand a chance to begin with, and having been drained by Shino's kikaichu beetles before the fight made disposing of them all the more easy.

Many of the more cowardly criminals, seeing that their odds of winning were slim to none, made a desperate break to escape, just as predicted. However, these men ran off only to find that their entire group was surrounded by a brigade of identical blonde, whiskered shinobi, all in the same bright orange outfit. With Naruto's kage bushins guarding their exit, no bandits were able to slip away. They were completely contained until they either beat the shinobi or were defeated themselves.

The strategy was working flawlessy, and the shinobi made quick work of the masses of bandits. With more than enough clones to stop the runners in their tracks, Naruto decided he could spare a glance at the girl who had been making his feelings run amuck. Yes, Naruto had been thinking of the lavender-eyed Hyuuga heiress more and more since that night he finally gave in to his urges and indulged in the beauty of her nude form. The knucklehead still had no idea what exactly had changed then, but he knew something had, and he could not stop thinking of the girl.

He looked at her. The image he got left him speechless. He had seen many Hyuugas fighting with the Gentle Fist style, but Hinata made it seem so much more… beautiful. Her fluid motions and nimble movements made it seem almost as if she were dancing around her enemies, all the while incapacitating them with ease. To Naruto, she was the embodiment of grace.

The only thing that drew his attention more was the look in her eyes. It was not her normal shy, doubting gaze; there was a lavender fire burning in those pupiless pearls. This was a look he had not seen in her eyes since her battle against Neji in the chuunin exams. It was a look of unwavering determination; a look of self-confidence; a look that said she would take on the world and win. It was the look of someone with something to prove. For some reason this look seemed so familiar, yet he could not tell from where, most likely because he was not used to seeing this look on another person's face.

Poof!

This beautiful but deadly distraction became indirectly responsible for the dispersing of more than a few caught off-guard clones. The Narutos just could not take their eyes off of her. Seeing Hinata like this was causing even more new feelings to swell within the already emotionally confused jinchuuriki.

Suddenly, the goddess performing her dance of death was surrounded by a fresh wave of bandits. There were at least seven of the large armed assailants, all striking at her at once. A pang of fear hit Naruto, and he could not help but jump in to help her. This proved to be unnecessary though, as all the bandits surrounding Hinata fell to the ground before the concerned blonde could even take a step.

'_Of course. She's a ninja. She can take care of herself,' _Naruto reminded himself. These thugs were nothing for talented shinobi. And she was a chuunin, for Kami's sake! She could protect herself! Why should he be so worried about her? After all, he was not worried about Kiba or Shino. Why was he feeling such a strong urge to protect **her**?

Naruto, realizing that this was not the most opportune time to be asking himself all these questions, cleared his mind and resumed his ass-kicking.

* * *

The mission was a complete success. Despite being clearly outnumbered, the shinobi made quick work of the bandits, finishing off the entire gang in just over an hour. The team then proceeded to tie up the survivors, who were taken as captives afterwards by a squad who were stationed at a nearby village.

With their job done, the group spared no time and immediately began to head back to Konoha.

* * *

When night descended upon the travelling shinobi, they stopped to set up camp. With the mission over with, Kiba decided to set his priorities on getting some brownie points from the rest of the Konoha 11 back home.

After the group's attempt to figure out Naruto's feelings towards Hinata, everyone was expecting the two to start going out very soon. The ninja were all very surprised after a week had passed by and nobody had heard any word about the blonde knucklehead asking Hinata out. They realized why after Ino had asked Lee exactly what he had said to Naruto. Apparently, the spandex-wearing shinobi's speech had been a little too… _youthful_.

Of course everyone was too busy to find a chance to figure out where Hinata stands in Naruto's eyes, but now Kiba had that chance. The dog trainer figured, _'Screw one month! If the others hear I helped get those two together, maybe they'd shut it with the dog jokes __**for good**__!' _

With this reward in mind, the scheming Inuzuka went to execute his plan. When the four shinobi retired for the night, Kiba made sure the only spot left for the team's orange-clad genin was right beside Hinata.

Naruto was obviously quite awkward with the night's sleeping arrangements. After all, it is kind of hard to sleep right beside a girl you have seen completely naked without your mind going straight to the gutter. He would have asked Kiba to scoot over, but the chuunin seemed to have already been dead asleep. So Naruto lied there, trying to keep his mind off of the girl beside him, so torturously close their arms were touching.

Hinata on the other hand was loving their current position. Unlike Naruto, she let her mind wander. Fortunately her blush was not visible in the darkness. The only difficult part for her was keeping from rolling over on top of the blonde and trying out some of her fantasies in front of her teammates. This temptation did not last long though, as Hinata managed to peacefully drift into slumber with ease tonight. Something about having Naruto on her side, feeling the warmth radiating off of the arm in contact with hers, just put Hinata at ease.

However, Naruto was having no luck finding rest that night. It was hard enough warding off the naked images of the gorgeous kunoichi beside him, and on top of that the few times he nearly managed to fall asleep he seemed to be jolted back into wakefulness by either Kiba's constant tossing and turning, Akamaru's tail wagging in his face, or the dog user snoring into his ear.

Little did the jinchuuriki know that Kiba and his canine companion were actually still awake. All the constant annoyances deterring Naruto from sleep were merely part of the shinobi's plan. Kiba had learned a lot about his Hyuuga teammate over the years. One of the things he learned from years of field missions is that she happens to talk in her sleep. With her knuckleheaded crush so close, it was an easy guess what she would be dreaming about. All Kiba had to do was keep Naruto awake for the show.

As Naruto's vision began receding into an enveloping darkness, Kiba once again rolled over in his pseudo-sleep, this time his hand landing harshly on the boy's face. The restless blonde grabbed the hand which had once again denied him any rest and tossed it off his face. However, his agitation caused him to carelessly elbow Hinata in the ribs after withdrawing his arm.

"…So hard…" the kunoichi mumbled in response.

"G-gomen Hinata-chan, I didn't mean to hit you," the jinchuuriki whispered sheepishly in apology.

The only reply he received was the girl's quiet mumble of, "…harder…"

'_What? She wants me to hit her harder?'_ The confused shinobi eyed his teammate for a second. Her eyes were still shut, she was showing no signs of moving, and her breaths were still heavy. It was obvious Hinata was still asleep. _'I guess she must be talking in her dreams.'_

"Naahrr… to…" Hinata drawled out in her sleep. Naruto's ears perked at this.

'_Wait… Was that supposed to be my name? Is she dreaming of about me?'_ Giving up on finding sleep, the perplexed jinchuuriki gave all his attention to his new game of deciphering what he and Hinata were doing in her dream.

Hinata dropped her first clue. "In… so… deep…" the heiress mumbled.

'_Hmm… What could be deep… It doesn't sound like she's having a nightmare, so I doubt it's a wound… Maybe we're swimming?'_

"Getting… so… wet…" Hinata purred out.

'_Yeah, definitely swimming'_ the whiskered shinobi surmised.

"Now… me… top…" she mumbled.

'_Huh? Okay, maybe we're not swimming. What could she want on top of?'_ the ever-clueless Naruto wondered.

The next sounds that came out of Hinata's mouth were a series of quiet moans, followed by the words, "S-suck on… them…"

Naruto's whiskered face quickly flushed red. This dream was beginning to sound somewhat… sexual! Naruto tried to get his mind out of the gutter; obviously she was not having a wet dream. Why would Hinata have a wet dream with **him**?

"Ohhh… Don't stop… C-cumming…"

Naruto's mind was once again straight in the gutter. He had one hand covering his bloody nose and the other holding his blanket in a deathgrip to keep it from wandering to less appropriate places. As Hinata continued moaning and mumbling, Naruto felt Kiba's hand poke him in the back again. Annoyed by the dog breeder's constant tossing and turning, Naruto reached back to push away the hand against his back.

…Only it was not a hand.

"Gah!" As soon as Naruto realized what he had grabbed, he jumped out of his makeshift bed and out of the tent to get some fresh air. Kiba soon followed suit, heading in the opposite direction. His plan may have backfired a little bit, but it still seemed to have gotten through to the orange-clad knucklehead.

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes, slowly adjusting to the bright light leaking from outside the tent. He was not sure how, but somehow the restless teen managed to get some sleep later that night. As he rose with a loud yawn, he looked around. The only other person in the tent with him was Hinata; Kiba and Shino must have woken up before them.

Naruto flushed as he remembered her sleep talking the previous night. He quickly made to leave the tent to escape his own awkwardness. To his confusion, the zipper of the tent refused to move. It seemed to be jammed.

"Yo, Kiba, Shino! You out there? The zipper is stuck, can I get a little help here?" he called outside the tent. The only response was a sudden grunt of discomfort from Hinata. Naruto quieted down, trying not to rudely wake the sleeping girl behind him.

He looked back, and was captivated by the sight. Thankfully she had not awoken. With the other two gone, the entranced shinobi took a minute to admire the blue-haired kunoichi's beauty. Naruto couldn't help but stare at the girl who had been running through his mind for the past two weeks. Every part of her shone like a goddess to the jinchuuriki. From her silky, midnight-blue hair with bangs that framed her peaceful, sleeping face. Her soft, inviting lips. Her bare shoulders peeking out of her blanket, revealing her smooth, milky-white skin. Her n – wait; **bare** shoulders?

Something was not right here. Where were the sleeves of her usual mesh shirt? There was not even a bra strap present! Was she… **naked**?!

Soon, the blonde's perverse curiosity got the better of him. Against his better judgement, Naruto crawled towards the sleeping heiress and gently slid her blanket off her body. Naruto's eyes bugged out and his mind melted. He threw the blanket the rest of the way off of the Hyuuga's body without care.

To his astonishment, Hinata was completely naked. Rather than question why, the blonde's eyes just gorged on the feast before them. It was exactly how he remembered from the picture of her. From her luscious plump breasts, to her pert pink nipples, to her flat stomach, to her long sleek legs, to the pink lips between them.

Naruto was completely lost to temptation and craving. Before he even realised what he was doing, he let out a very uncharacteristic perverse chuckle, and then his hands darted to grope her chest. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but every fiber of his being was urging him to continue. He fought against his body, but to no avail; his hands seemed to move on their own.

As Naruto's roaming hands fondled Hinata's breasts against his will, something else in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and soon his confusion overpowered his lust. What caught his attention was none other than his own sleeve. Naruto could have sworn he went to bed in his black shirt which he normally wears under his jacket, which was short sleeved, unlike this shirt. To further his bewilderment, it wasn't even orange, so there was no way it was his jacket either! Just what the hell was he wearing?

Naruto tore his eyes away from Hinata's body to inspect his own. Rather than his trademark orange outfit he was wearing a short, green kimono and matching green pants, with a red haori on top. _'Wait… These are ero-sennins…'_

Just then, Hinata was roused from her sleep by the wandering hands playing with her chest. Naruto felt the kunoichi begin to shift, and looked back to her. Their eyes met, and for a second they both froze. Then Hinata realized what had been going on in her sleep, and her eyes widened. After a deep, shocked gasp she cried out, "Eeeek! ! ! Let me go, pervert! ! !"

Said pervert regained his senses, and released his grip on her boobs to wave his hands in the air in defense. Panicking, he stammered out, "Wait! No! Uh… This isn't what it looks like! I was just… um… Doing research!" _'Did I seriously just say that?!'_ the shinobi asked himself after having blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

Hinata did not buy it though, and began to lash out at him. "Stupid lecher!" Naruto dodged many punches aimed for both his face and groin, before capturing her hands in his, attempting to stop her from attacking.

"Please! Just calm down! I can explain!" he pleaded. As Hinata struggled to break free, the two ended up wrestling each other to the ground, Hinata on her back with her molester looming over her. Her eyes widened even more in shock and fear; Naruto merely blushed as he realised the position the two were in. His grip eased accidentally.

"Get off of me, ero-gaki!" she squealed as she delivered a whopping kick to the gut, launching him off of her.

"Hey! Don't call me that!" Naruto retorted, offended by this adaptation of the infamous title he had given his sensei.

"Ero-gaki! Ero-gaki! Ero-gaki!" she repeated, punctuating each exclamation with a slap.

"Stop! I'm not a pervert! You hear me?! I'm not a pervert!" Naruto cried desperately, repeating the words Hinata refused to listen to. After a particularly hard slap, Naruto's perception changed and the tent began to fade away.

* * *

"I'm not a pervert… I'm not a pervert…" Naruto tiredly chanted over and over. Kiba delivered another slap to his face. "Ow…" Naruto mumbled weakly. As his eyelids parted, he noticed the tent looked different. In of him was a kneeling Kiba, rather than Hinata. Regaining his awareness, he shot up and looked down at his clothes. He let out a relieved sigh that they were his regular sleeping attire. _'Just a bad dream,'_ he thought.

"You may not be a pervert, but you sure are a lazy ass," Kiba commented teasingly, "Not to mention a deep sleeper. Man, it took me forever to wake you up!"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Heheh… So I'm guessing I slept in again?" he asked sheepishly, already knowing the answer.

"No shit you did; the rest of us got up over an hour ago. There's a small stream just a couple minutes away from here to the west. You should probably go and take a bath before we head out; you wreak dude!" Kiba covered his sensitive Inuzuka nose as he said this.

Naruto gave a look that showed that he did not appreciate his friend's brutal honesty. "Fine, whatever." Not wasting any more time, the whiskered teen left the tent to bathe.

Kiba smirked as his teammate left. Unbeknownst to the knuckleheaded ninja, Hinata had said she was going to the stream to wash up less than ten minutes ago. _'This is gonna be interesting,'_ he mused to himself.

However, as he left the tent, he was surprised by what he saw. "Hinata? You finished bathing already?!"

Hinata, who had been cooking some freshly caught fish over the campfire, looked up to her teammate. "Actually, Shino wanted to bathe too, so I decided to let him go first."

'_Uh-oh,"_ Kiba thought.

Just then, a shout of terror rang through the forest. "**Gahhhh! ! ! So many bugs! ! !**"

* * *

After his first two attempts, Kiba decided he was not cut out for all that matchmaker crap. The remainder of the trip back to Konoha was rather uneventful. After arriving the next day and reporting to the Hokage the success of their mission, the four parted ways.

Naruto, rather than going for a celebratory bowl of ramen at Ichirakus as had become his usual post-mission ritual, went straight to his home. He had a lot on his mind, and wanted to be alone for a while. Shutting the door behind him, he walked through his small apartment straight to his bed. He laid himself down with his hands under his head, staring intensely at the ceiling. Then, Naruto proceeded to do something he did not do very often.

He thought.

More specifically, he thought about the girl that had been running amuck in his mind lately. Hinata Hyuuga.

Naruto may not be the most introspective guy, but even he could tell that he was developing some deep feelings for her. The tricky part was figuring out exactly what they were. She had always been a good friend, but he had never thought of trying to have anything more with her. The only experience the confused jinchuuriki had with these kinds of feelings was his old crush on Sakura. He knew he liked Hinata in a similar way, but not the **exact** same way, if that made any sense.

Maybe it was just lust? He had seen her naked, he had even dreamed of her naked. Kami knows he wanted her.

No, Naruto dismissed this thought immediately. Hinata was one of his closest friends now; she was too important to him to just be another conquest, just a means to fulfill an urge. Besides, her body was not the only thing he thought about. He liked so many other things about her too: her kind nature, her selflessness, her determination, she was fun to be around, even a simple smile from her could lift his spirits. Yes, there was definitely something deeper there.

He thought about the possibility of going out with her. As he thought before, she was always fun to hang out with, there was no doubt in his mind he would have fun with her. And with her kind nature, she would definitely never be mean or short-tempered with him, even when he let his knuckleheaded side show. Looking back on their rookie years, even back to their academy days, he could not remember a single time she was ever mean to him. Now that he thought about it, she had actually always seemed to support him. She was the only one he could remember cheering him on when everyone else put him down. How had he not noticed before? He thought back to all the times she had wished him luck or told him to do his best. He reminisced about when she had offered to help him in the first round of the chuunin exams, and when she had given him the courage to fight Neji in the finals.

Neji.

This train of thought brought him to her fight against her cousin, when he had been the one cheering **her** on. He remembered that look in her eye, the one she had shown on their last mission, the one where her eyes almost seemed to glow with confidence…

There it was again. That feeling, right in his chest. It was unlike any he had felt before, even towards Sakura. It was not just that it was so foreign and mysterious, but it was also more intense than what he felt for anyone else. The only feeling that was almost on the same level was the bond he had with pervy sage.

Sure, he was always on Jiraiya's case, and the old lecher was always pissing him off, but at the end of the day he was one of Naruto's most precious people. Naruto had never had a family, and as a child he had no friends. He had to work his butt off to get the people he had in his life. When Jiraiya told him that he was taking him away from the village for two years, he was mortified. After finally gaining a decent amount of people in his life that actually liked him, he was going to be torn away from them all for two whole years. It sounded like hell. But when the two hit the road, things changed. It was the first time Naruto had lived with someone else, even if they were constantly moving. The toad sage took care of Naruto, looked out for him, and taught him what he could, and not just jutsu. Jiraiya passed on what wisdom he had, not just about fighting, but about life. On their trip, he had become something of a father to Naruto. As if to seal the deal, he had even been the one to give him _the talk_, and Naruto was almost certain that was something that boys got from their fathers (even if other kids' _talks_ did not include visual aids and professional opinions, both courtesy of some ladies from the red light district).

Perhaps this is what he was feeling towards Hinata too? Perhaps she had become like family to him, or some sort of super-special friend? What if he did ask her out, and ruined what they already had?

This was another thing that struck Naruto as odd. If he truly liked her, why was it that every time he thought of asking her out, he could only focus on what could go wrong? When he liked Sakura, he was never afraid of her rejecting him or anything like that, so why was he so afraid of asking Hinata out? Naruto could only compare the two sensations to gambling. When he asked Sakura out, it was like buying a lottery ticket. You know your chances of winning are next to zip, but the potential gain was worth the insignificant cost. Naruto went in knowing he would be rejected, but could just shrug it off after. Naruto's thoughts about asking Hinata out could be likened more to playing Russian roulette. One wrong move, and you're dead. The thought of being rejected by Hinata mortified him to the core, which only confused the blonde more.

But Naruto was nothing if not ballsy. He would have to do **something**, otherwise these emotions would just continue to plague his brain.

He would not just run in blindly though. He wanted to seek some advice from someone with more knowledge than him, to make sure he made the right choice and knew what to do. So he sought out the only people he could trust to steer him in the right direction: his senseis.

* * *

"You should nail her," Naruto's sensei/father figure Jiraiya casually stated.

Naruto was only slightly surprised by the Sanin's blunt answer. "Can't you be serious just once?" Naruto whined to the old man. Figures. He comes to him with a serious dilemma, opens up to him, and all he gets is a perverted response.

"I am being serious!" Jiraiya retorted, "I mean, that girl has an amazing body for someone her age! You have a fine taste in women; as your teacher I am truly proud of you for that. It is understandable that you only started to notice; after all, she did always wear those baggy clothes before. If you want to be able to spot out the most beautiful women, you need to learn to, as Kakashi would put it, 'look underneath the underneath'." Jiraiya nodded sagely as he imparted his advice unto his pupil.

Naruto gave up on trying to get any useful information from the old pervert. "Whatever, thanks for the shitty advice, ero-sennin," Naruto said as he walked off.

"Hey! If it wasn't for my **great **advice, you wouldn't have been born!" Jiraiya shouted angrily to the Uzumaki as he left. Naruto did not pay attention though. "Ungrateful brat," the toad sage grumbled to himself.

* * *

"You should nail her," Kakashi said casually, his eye never leaving his little orange book.

"Come on, Kakashi-sensei! Can't you give me any uselful, **non-perverted** advice?" Naruto pleaded.

Kakashi eyed his student's desperate face and sighed. Looking back to his book, the copy-cat ninja wracked his brain for any other tips. "Hm… Never arrive late for dates. Women tend to leave if you keep them waiting for more than two hours."

"You mean they actually **will** wait for the first two hours?"

Kakashi put his finger up to his mask. "I'm actually not sure exactly how long they wait, but that is the earliest I've ever been for a date and the girl was already gone."

Naruto sweat-dropped. Still, this was the first serious tip he had gotten so far, even if he was getting ahead of himself. "Alright, any other tips?"

Kakashi once again went deep in thought. "Well, when you finally do get her in the sack, that's the one time coming late **is** appreciated, if you know what I mean."

And back to the perverse stuff. Naruto mentally groaned. He did not enjoy having his senseis gross him out with graphic sex advice. "I already know not to finish early! Can you please not talk about stuff like that!"

Kakashi chuckled. "I should have figured you would know. After all, you were taught by the great Jiraiya-sama."

"Yeah, and sometimes I think that beneath that mask is just him in disguise," Naruto commented in a defeated tone.

"You flatter me too much Naruto, comparing me to the great toad sage," Kakashi said happily, giving Naruto one of his eye smiles. The orange-clad genin merely left, knowing he would not be getting any good advice from the cycloptic shinobi.

* * *

Naruto was at Ichiraku's, sitting down to a steaming bowl of ramen with his old academy teacher Iruka. Teuchi and Ayame were overjoyed to see their favourite customer for the first time in over two weeks, and Iruka was always there for Naruto when he needed to talk to someone. The friendly atmosphere that Ichiraku's always provided put Naruto at ease, and unlike Kakashi and Jiraiya, Iruka actually seemed to take interest in the blonde's problem, attentively listening as he shared his feelings with him. Naruto should have gone to Iruka in the first place; he knew his old academy teacher would be able to give him some actual help. The obnoxious blonde waited patiently on his sensei's words of wisdom.

"You should nail her," Iruka said casually, "…Two weeks from now!" he tagged at the end, stressing the second half of his suggestion.

Naruto face-palmed. _'Even Iruka-sensei?!'_ Why? Why were the only people he knew that he could ask about this issue all single, male perverts?

Naruto simply gave up. "Why in two weeks?" Naruto asked indifferently from behind his palm, not bothering to try to get any other advice from the scarred ninja.

'_Because that's the week I've got in the pool.'_ "Uhh… Because… It's uh… rude to have sex until you've dated for at least two weeks," Iruka covered up lamely.

This just frustrated Naruto more. "Dated?! I haven't even asked her out yet! I don't even know if I should! What if she says no?! What if she won't want to be friends anymore?! What do I even say?!" Naruto blurted out, eventually breaking down from the stress and dropping his head onto the counter of the ramen stand.

Iruka looked at his student and frowned. He was obviously completely lost, and very worried over this. Iruka hated to see his student like this, so he gathered himself and gave the only advice he could. "Look, Naruto, I know you're not gonna like to hear this, but I'm afraid that this is one of the things in life that you have to figure out for yourself," the teacher said sympathetically. Naruto raised his head and looked to his sensei with disappointment in his eyes. Iruka sighed and continued. "As far as your feelings go, I can't tell you exactly how you feel for Hinata. It may be hard, but only you can figure that one out. Just trust your gut; sometimes it's harder to understand your emotions when you think about them too hard. As for what to say… Well, I can't tell you what to say either. It'll mean the most if the words you say are your own. Besides, even though I was her teacher, I am sure you know her better than I do. You should be able to think of the best way to ask her out. That is, if you choose to do so."

Naruto chuckled sadly, mulling over the ironic duality of his teacher's advice. It was the only helpful advice he managed to receive, yet Iruka was basically telling him that nobody could give him any advice. As Naruto sulked over his hopelessness, Iruka gave Naruto the key to solving his emotional problem.

"If you still have doubts, or are too afraid of losing Hinata to do anything, just ask yourself this: is it worth it? Is what you and Hinata could have worth the risk? If you can find out the answer to that question, you'll have the rest of your answers too. Now, the Naruto I knew was always a risk-taker. He had the guts to do what had to be done if he thought it was worth the consequences. He stole one of the most guarded scrolls in the village, and learned a jonin-level jutsu to bring himself one step closer to his dream. He wasn't afraid of the ANBU, or of the punishment if he was caught, or even of failing to learn such a high-level technique at such a young age, because he knew it was worth it if he succeeded."

Naruto looked up at his sensei with admiration. It was amazing how he always knew what to say. Iruka could always raise his spirits when he was down, and that was why he was one of Naruto's precious people.

The genin took his sensei's words to heart and thought it over. What could he have with Hinata if he asked her out? He had never had a girlfriend before, but he was sure it would be nice. And what nicer girlfriend could he get than Hinata? She was the kindest, sweetest, and most considerate girl he knew! If they already had this much fun together as friends, imagine who much fun they could have as boyfriend and girlfriend! He would get to see her more, get to know her better, and become even closer with her. Naruto realised that he really wanted that. He wanted to see her. He wanted to know her. He wanted to have someone caring to share his thoughts and feelings with. He wanted someone like her who would be there for him, and he wanted to be there for her. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to touch her, to hold her. Hell, he even had to admit, he **would** love to nail her someday.

Naruto had made his mind up then and there. His certainty shone in his bright blue eyes. He **did **like Hinata, and he **would **ask her out! The possibility of rejection be damned, 'cause he wasn't going to fail! He gazed back at Iruka with the look of unfaltering confidence his sensei had come to know him for. "Thanks." It was only a single word, but Iruka could feel all the emotion behind it.

With that, Naruto formed his goofy, child-like grin for the first time in a while and bounded away from the ramen stand. He headed straight for his apartment. It was getting dark, and he would need to be rested for tomorrow. He was going to have a nerve-wracking day.

"Wait, Naruto! You haven't paid your bill!" Iruka shouted to the running blonde, but Naruto did not hear. His mind was swimming with ideas of how to ask out his girlfriend-to-be.

Iruka's head dropped in defeat. _'I try to help a student out, and I still get stuck paying for their meal!'_

* * *

After the mission to the Land of Oil, Hinata had a rather unexciting day. Once she left the Hokage's office, she went straight to her favourite bakery to pick up a package of her beloved snack: fresh cinnamon rolls. She went home and began to eat the sugary treats. While she was eating, her father approached.

"Hinata, I am going to the Land of Waves to finalise a business contract for the clan, and I will be taking Neji with me. We will be gone for a week. Also, your sister Hanabi will be staying with some friends during this time. You will be home alone, so behave yourself," Hiashi informed his daughter blandly.

"Hai, otou-san," Hinata replied with a respectful bow.

"Oh yes, and your sister was not sufficiently prepared for her stay, so she requested some extra clothes and what not. I have had a bag packed for her, if you would not mind could you bring it to her? I left the address she said she was at on top of the bag."

"Hai," Hinata once again complied, remaining in her bowed position. With that the clan leader took his leave.

Hinata sighed. Having the main branch house to herself was nice; she had free reign to do whatever she liked without judgement, but at the same time it made her feel very lonely. Her home just felt empty and cold without her little sister or cousin whom she had grown to love, even her indifferent father's presence was missed when he was gone.

Not feeling like sitting around in the empty house, the heiress decided to go and deliver her sister's bag right away.

* * *

When Hinata arrived at the address written down, she was surprised to see her sister was staying at the Sarutobi compound. _'Who does my sister know that is a Sarutobi?'_ Hinata asked herself. When she knocked on the door, she was greeted by a clan member named Kenpachi, who gladly went to retrieve her sister.

Hanabi was excited to see her big sister. "Nee-chan!" Hanabi exclaimed as she hugged her elder sister. "How did the mission go? Did you impress _Naruto-kun_?" she asked in a mock lovey-dovey voice.

"The mission went very well," Hinata answered, ignoring her sister's second question. "I brought your bag."

The young Hyuuga gleefully relieved Hinata of the bag. "So who are you staying with?"

"Thanks nee-chan! I'm staying at Konohamaru-kun's while father is gone!"

Hinata was visibly shocked. "Father let you sleep over at a boy's house?!"

Hanabi just giggled. "Nope. I told him I was going to Musubi's." Hinata couldn't believe her sister would deceive her father like that. Then again, she had done the same to sleep at Naruto's, with far less innocent intentions. "Not that I get what the big deal is," Hanabi said with a pout.

"Well, he just does not want any boy trying to do anything inappropriate with you."

"So what if he does?" Hanabi retorted rebelliously, crossing her arms. "Why can he tell me what I can and can't do?"

'_Because you can't get laid before me!' _"Because you are too young for such things!" Hinata told her sister, in a motherly, lecturing tone.

"Too young for what?" Hanabi asked in an offended tone. Hinata could tell she had no idea what sort of things she was referring to. The heiress was not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing in a situation like this, but either way she was **not** about to be the one to teach her little sister about sex on the doorstep to another clan's compound.

"O-oh, nothing, nevermind," Hinata responded sheepishly.

Hanabi was confused and curious, but she just shrugged it off. "Whatever, it's not like we can get into any real trouble. This is his clan's house after all; the rest of the Sarutobi's won't let us don't anything too stupid."

Her sister was right. They were under the watchful eyes of the rest of the clan, surely they would not support such behaviour between too young kids. Hinata had nothing to worry about.

"Unlike you," Hanabi continued in a sly voice, "You'll have the entire main branch house to yourself. You can have your precious _Naruto-kun_ over and do all the _inappropriate _things you want," she teased.

Hinata blushed at what her sister had unknowingly insinuated. She had not thought of seizing such an opportunity, but then again, she would need Naruto to stop avoiding her to pull such a stunt.

"I would never do such a thing," she lied. "Anyway, have fun with your little _boyfriend,_" Hinata jested.

"H-he is not my b-boyfriend! I d-don't even like him like t-that!" Hanabi stammered.

"Oh? Then why are you blushing?" Hinata asked with a teasing smirk.

"S-shut up! Bye, nee-chan!"

Hinata giggled as Hanabi slammed the door and scurried away. It was fun to be the one doing the teasing for once.

* * *

Hinata spent the rest of the day chatting with some of her friends. No matter who she was with though, the lavender-eyed Hyuuga's mind was always with Naruto. She was proud of herself for the way she carried out her latest mission. She had remained professional, kept focused and kicked butt without a single screw-up. Hopefully she had impressed her orange-clad crush like she had planned. Perhaps today would even be the day he stops avoiding her?

Unfortunately, this didn't seem to be the case. Whoever she was with, she always asked if they knew where Naruto was. Apparently no one had really seen him. The only person who had was Sakura, who said she had seen him go to his apartment. So either he was avoiding everyone, which was very un-Naruto-like, or he was not leaving his apartment, which was even more un-Naruto-like.

Hinata could not be sure why the blonde had such a sudden change of behaviour, or what it meant for her, but she tried to remain positive. Maybe after so many days, he wanted to just go home, take out the picture he kept of her and _relieve some stress_? _'Peeping is wrong, peeping is wrong, peeping is wrong,'_ she had to mentally chant to keep herself from staking out her love's apartment and finding out.

By dinner she ended up cooking herself something to eat in her empty home. She watched some tv, did some light training, and went to sleep. Lying in her bed, in the silent house, she felt more lonely than usual. She hugged her pillow, wishing she had Naruto beside her like on the mission. Without anyone else there to see, she would be free to snuggle into him and bask in the warmth of his body. Hinata hoped Naruto would start to return her feelings soon.

Hopefully tomorrow would be a better day.

* * *

Hinata was walking through the streets of Konoha after her team's regular training. She was tired and just wanted to go home and rest for a bit. However, rest became the last thing on her mind when she noticed an orange figure walking her way.

The lavender-eyed admirer was overjoyed to see her crush in the village again. She was even more excited when he headed straight towards her and called her name.

Naruto, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. He was dripping sweat, not from exhaustion but from anxiety, and he was scratching his face constantly, a nervous tick he developed when he didn't know what to say, akin to Hinata playing with her fingers.

It was true, Naruto had lost most of the nerve he had gathered the previous night. He was still sure of what he was doing, but could not shake his fear of being rejected. _'She's the heiress to the noblest, high-and-mightiest-ass clan in the village! What am I? The town pariah, the orphan, the class clown, the class dead-last! Hell, she's a chuunin and I'm still the only genin from our class! She could have any guy she wanted, why would she settle for me?' _

To top it off, the jinchuuriki discovered that he did not have a romantic bone in his body last night. He could not think of any special way to ask Hinata out. Despite her upbringing, she was a rather humble girl who did not share the same high standards as the rest of her clan, so hopefully she would appreciate the simple direct approach.

Steeling his resolve, Naruto swallowed his anxiety and confronted his crush. "Hey, Hinata-chan. I was just looking for you," he stated shakily.

"Really? You were looking for me?" she asked shyly. Hinata was surprised. Not only had he finally stopped avoiding her, but he had come looking for her! Usually it was the other way around. Not to mention how much earlier Kurenai began training than Kakashi; Naruto must have cut training early to find her, something he **never** did!

Naruto gulped. He could not handle the cuteness of Hinata's voice; it was really testing his courage. He urged himself to continue like he had planned. "Yeah, you see… I was, uh… I wanted to ask you something…" _'This is it, the moment of truth…'_ Hinata simply stared into his eyes in hope and anticipation. "I was wondering if… uh… If you're not doing anything… If you wanted to do something together later?" Naruto weakly forced out.

The terrified jinchuuriki mentally cursed himself for losing the nerve to call it a date, or at least tell her he liked her. It sounded like he was just asking to hang out like the always did. Fortunately for him, Hinata was able to catch on to his intentions.

_'**He**__ came looking for__** me**__, skipped out on training, and he's nervous; he's never nervous when we hang out! He may not have said it, but this is a __**date**__! __**THIS IS A DATE!**__' _Hinata had a heartgasm at the prospect. Fireworks were going off in her mind. Still, she wanted to know for sure. She summoned up what little of the Hyuuga's flawless emotional suppression she inherited to contain her exuberant glee and ask her question.

"You mean like… a date?"

Naruto sweat even more. He was amazed that she had somehow seemed to read his mind. It was just another reason he thought they would be great together. Going for broke, Naruto answered with a nervous, "Yeah."

The blonde knucklehead prepared for the worst. Sure, Hinata may not be violent like Sakura, but the emotional hit he would take from any kind of rejection from her would be ten times stronger than his teammate's fist to the face.

As he braced himself for a heart-crushing 'no', Hinata did the last thing he thought she would. She simply donned a pleased smile, and calmly replied, "I'd love to. What did you have in mind?"

Naruto, however, lacked the emotional control Hinata had, and his surprise was evident on his face. He mentally panicked; the dobe had not actually planned that far ahead. Hopefully Hinata would know a good place to go. "Well, I was hoping we could get dinner. You know any good restaurants?" Naruto questioned, figuring she would want to go someplace nicer than a ramen stand for a first date.

Hinata thought on this for a second. Then, she had to fight off a devilish smirk as her sister's words came to mind. "Why don't you come over to my place for dinner? I could cook something nice for us to eat," she suggested, seemingly innocently.

Naruto pondered this option for a minute. He had tried Hinata's cooking before, and it was delicious. But still, meeting her family on the first date? Sure, he knew Neji, but he had heard of her father's reputation. Hiashi was considered by many to be a strict, self-absorbed asshole. He definitely did not sound like the kind of man who would be happy to meet his daughter's boyfriend, especially when he was head of a prestigious clan and Naruto was just an orphaned demon-child. Naruto had to find a way out of the situation.

"I dunno… You sure your family would be okay with that?"

Hinata's smirk tried harder to overtake her lips. "Actually, my family is gone for the week, so I have the house to myself. It gets really lonely there sometimes; I would love to have some company." Hinata pleaded him to say yes with her saddest lost-puppy eyes.

Naruto gulped again. He would be in her house, all alone with the most beautiful girl he knew, and he knew her **thoroughly** thanks to the photo he swiped. He didn't know if he would be able to get through the meal without trying to jump her, but he could not deny those cute, lavender eyes. "Sure, sounds great," he answered, realising how hard he was going to have to focus to keep the perverted thoughts out of his head on their date.

"Perfect! I'll have dinner ready for seven. Does that work for you?"

All Naruto could do at this point was nod dumbly. Hinata just giggled shortly and practically skipped past him, merrily shouting out, "See you there!"

Naruto just stood there for a second, staring at the spot where Hinata had just been standing. After a few minutes, everything that had happened finally sunk in. Naruto's mouth stretched into the biggest smile the perpetually happy teen had ever shown, threatening to split his face in two. He jumped into the air with his fist raised, exclaiming a victorious "Yahoo!" When he landed he immediately bounded off, not even knowing where he was going. In the end, he ended up doing a victory lap around most of the village, even outrunning Gai and Lee during their regular laps around Konoha in his excitement.

In the meanwhile, Hinata headed straight home to shower before her upcoming date and prepare her love a very _special_ meal…

* * *

After letting out his excitement, Naruto had managed to find his way back to his apartment to prepare for his date. On his way to the Hyuuga compound, he stopped by the Yamanaka flower shop to get some flowers for Hinata. He knew it was cliché, but he figured anything that overdone must work.

Ino was glad to help Naruto pick some flowers. Though he did not have much taste for such things, he insisted on putting lavenders into the bouquet, saying they reminded him of the eyes of the girl he was giving them too. Ino didn't have to ask who they were for; she already had a good idea. The mind walker was glad he was putting a personal touch into the gift, and told him that the flower symbolized love and devotion, making it perfect for a girl you liked. Ino also threw in some purple lilacs and cactus flowers. They made a beautiful looking bouquet, and Ino thought Hinata would appreciate the meaning behind the flowers she picked for him. Purple lilacs stood for first love, and cactus flowers meant lust – Ino figured Hinata would **really** appreciate those.

Naruto paid for the flowers and left, surprised that he was not pestered for info from the usually nosy Yamaka. Ino didn't waste her time with him now. She would get all the juicy details she wanted from Hinata after the date.

When Naruto reached the Hyuuga compound the guards let him through, as they had been informed Hinata was expecting company. The blonde walked up to the door of the main branch house and, after a deep breath, knocked on it. His knock was answered by Hinata's voice calling out, "It's unlocked, Naruto-kun! Please come in!"

Naruto wondered why Hinata had not come to answer the door herself, but shrugged it off, figuring she was probably finishing cooking the meal. As he walked in, he wondered what they were eating. It probably wouldn't be ramen, to his dismay, but whatever it was he was sure it would be good. After shutting the front door behind him, he heard Hinata shout out once again.

"I'm in the dining room! Come, I just finished preparing the food!" Seems like Naruto guessed right. The unsuspecting blonde followed Hinata's voice to what must have been the dining room. He sniffed the heavenly aroma of the meal as he walked, until he reached the room.

When he did, he eyes widened in shock. He never would have guessed what was waiting for him in that room when he arrived…

* * *

**A/N: Cliffhanger! Hope you enjoyed the feels, the jokes, and the light perversion. I think you guys can all sense what's coming next chapt. If you can't, gather some nature chakra and go into (pervy) sage-mode, you'll sense it.**

**For those of you who don't get the chapter title – it's cause Naruto is returning Hinata's feels (I know, not funny. I just can't come up with good chapter titles unless the chapter is really topical like some of the earlier ones) I would've called it "The Date" or something with "date" in it, but I didn't wanna just spoil that in the title.**

**My original intention was to cut off the series when the two got together (as that was thy way I planned to end the one-shot idea that this spawned from) but I just got too attached to this, so it WILL continue on into their relationship. I never wanted to make a comedy about NaruHina, but hey, like I said, I fucking enjoy this. The fic will still be humorous, but I'm going to have to start to add in more emotion, and romance, and drama, and whatever to keep this fanfic from just making a complete joke out of their relationship. **

**I'm brainstorming ideas for what to do with them as a couple, as I had not originally planned for that as I've said. That's where you guys come in: be sure to leave a review, I really do appreciate them, and every once in a while they give me ideas. I'm not asking you to start pitching me story arcs ideas, just tell what you think of where I'm going, what you like, your predictions, anything. Sometimes a review can give me an idea unintentionally.**

**Anyways, hope you all enjoyed! Please FOLLOW/FAVE/I ALREADY SAID REVIEW ENOUGH TIMES! **


	13. Chapter 11: Lemon Ramen

**A/N: Hey, the chapter is finally up!**

… **THE chapter is finally up…**

**Ok, so I hope you enjoy this one. I know it took forever but I started living in my university dorm, and school work, and all that stuff (he says, pretending that isn't the most overused excuse on this site, while he was actually just having problems writing at a constant pace for some reason). I will try not to keep you guys hanging so long for the next one, but hey, shat happens. **

**I'm honestly curious to read the reviews, I just know this chapter is gonna have mixed reactions. I'm not sure whether u guys are gonna love me or hate me for this. Plus, I'm a bit worried some parts of this chapter might not be up to the same high-quality standards I always create, because as I said before, I was having some troubles getting this chap out of my brain for some reason. Anyway, read, enjoy, and tell me about it!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto's name, concept, personality, and characters belong to Kishi. His heart and body, however, are now in Hyuuga possession. **

"Speech"

'_Thoughts'_

'_**Kyuubi Thought'**_**/"Kyuubi Speech in Mindscape"**

* * *

Naruto stood frozen in the dining room entryway. The only thing he could do was stare in shock and awe. Inside was the last thing he expected to see; one of the most beautiful sights of his short life.

Hinata had made ramen.

Naruto should have been able to recognize the smell the instant he entered the house, but he had no idea that someone from such a wealthy and sophisticated clan would know how to prepare ramen, of all things. It was the most delicious looking ramen he had ever seen, from the steaming broth, to the fresh noodles, to the succulent beef and other toppings, all tantalizingly served on top of Hinata's gloriously nude body.

Wait…

Naruto blinked in confusion but the image remained. Lying atop the table, literally on a large silver platter, was a naked Hinata, covered in nothing but ramen.

The dumbstruck blonde's eyes travelled up and down her body. Her wet skin glistened from the broth, noodles accentuated her voluptuous figure, her nipples were covered only by strips of beef, and her feminine jewel by a single piece of Naruto.

Hinata turned her head to face her guest. The look she gave Naruto made him sweat; it was like a predator spotting its prey. Hinata saw what he held in his hands, and her look suddenly reverted back to the normal innocent smile Naruto was accustomed to. "Aw, you got me flowers, how sweet," she said sweetly. Then, as soon as it had disappeared, the lewd, heated expression returned. "Now come here and take mine," she purred seductively, opening her legs slightly as if inviting him in.

Naruto's feet refused to move as his brain attempted to process what was happening. The fact that Hinata had agreed to go on a date with him in the first place was unexpected enough, and now he arrives to find her waiting for him wearing nothing but his favourite food.

The horny Hyuuga had to stifle a giggle from seeing her crush's confused face. She saw that he was hesitating, and tried again to get him to move. "You hungry?" she asked with a devilish smirk. The mute blonde's head bobbed up and down like a bobblehead. "Well then…" The nude seductress brought a dainty finger to just above her pubic region, lightly dragging it up her stomach and the valley of her breasts, then sucking the collected broth off the finger sensually. "Dig in," she beckoned sexily.

There were no misunderstandings this time. There was a gorgeous, naked girl in front of him who wanted him. It felt surreal, like some kind of amazing dream, and soon his hormones took control of his body. Naruto began walking forward nervously, not knowing what to do. Fortunately Hinata stepped in to help, as the second he reached the table the kunoichi grabbed Naruto by the back of the head and pulled him down for a passionate kiss.

The jinchuuriki was surprised by her boldness at first; despite her state it was still hard to accept Hinata being like this. However, he quickly closed his eyes and responded to the kiss.

Hinata nearly melted into her love's lips. It was her first kiss, and it was everything she had hoped for. When Naruto started to kiss her back, she met his lips with twice the passion and desire and ruffled her hand through his golden locks. The eager Uzumaki absently dropped the flowers he brought in order to grab his date's waist and deepen the kiss. Then Hinata got a pleasant surprise; Naruto licked her lower lip, asking for entrance. She loved that her crush had already started taking initiative, and it aroused her to no end. She immediately opened her mouth for him, and the two made out hotly.

Naruto's tongue entered Hinata's mouth, feeling every nook and cranny of the moist cavern. Their tongues danced, each memorizing the other's taste. After a few minutes the pair parted for air, and Naruto decided to go even further.

He began trailing kisses down her jawline, neck, and collarbone, licking up any ramen or noodles in the way. Hinata loved the sensations of her lover's lips and tongue on the different parts of her body, the painful pleasure when he would playfully nip at her flesh, even the ticklish sensation of the squirming noodles being sucked into his mouth.

Naruto made his way down to her left breast and ate the strip of beef covering it. He eyed the pink nub for a second, before holding the pillowy mound in his hand and taking the nipple into his greedy maw.

Hinata mewled as she basked in the results of her years of attempting to gain the dense shinobi's attention. He suckled and massaged the breast, flicking her nub with his tongue fervently. After a minute, he released the mound from his mouth with a pop, and removed the beef concealing the other. He began to give that one the same treatement, whilst his one hand remained on the first breast, sculpting it and imitating his tongue's actions with his thumb. Hinata put her arms around his head while he nursed her like a newborn, but kept her grip loose enough to allow him to periodically switch between the mounds.

Hinata moaned, wanting even more. As if reading her mind, Naruto got a bit rougher, carefully biting the hard nub in his mouth while tweaking the other between his thumb and index. The heiress called her lover's name and showered him with encouragements as he toyed with her supple bosom. "Yes, Naruto! So… good!"

All too soon for Hinata, Naruto slipped out of her hold and abandoned her breasts. She let out a disappointed whine, until she realised where Naruto was headed.

He continued down her curvaceous body in the same fashion as before, kissing her skin and licking up the salty broth. As he made his way down her stomach, he gulped up a fried egg placed on her belly button, eliciting a giggle from his ticklish lover/meal. Finally he reached the last obstacle between him and Hinata's most intimate part. The sole piece of Naruto was impatiently taken into his mouth. Hinata gasped as Naruto's lip grazed her womanhood. Her heart was beating fast with anticipation and excitement.

Naruto devoured the fishcake quickly, but still noticed something off about it. It had some sort of odd, sweet flavour to it that he could not quite identify. Then he found the source. Gazing at his crush's exposed pussy, he was amazed to see a clear liquid seeping out of it, mixing and mingling with the broth. Naruto's masculine ego swelled; if he remembered correctly that meant she was getting turned on too.

He leaned closer, and ran his tongue up her wet slit, lapping all her juices. Hinata let out another long moan. Naruto swallowed after savouring the taste of his partner. He could get addicted to it. He decided to get more.

And so Naruto dove in tongue-first, aiming to get Hinata to produce more of that sweet nectar. What the knucklehead lacked in experience and knowledge, he made up for in enthusiasm. His tongue pushed into her inner folds, licking as if he actually were cleaning out a ramen bowl. He showed no mercy, relentlessly attacking the walls of her vagina. He tried to recall everything he knew about pleasuring a woman, wishing he had paid more attention to ero-sennin and his _friends_ Ginger and Candie. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small nub at the top of her slit in front of his nose, and some of the pervert's lessons came back to him.

For her part, Hinata was in heaven. She had thrown her head back and trapped her boy-toy's head in a leglock. She thought nothing could beat this blissful state, but then the pleasurable shocks that had travelled through her body turned into a lightning storm of ecstasy.

Naruto had brought one finger up to the mysterious bump and given it an experimental flick. Hinata moaned louder. He gave it a second flick. Hinata began shouting out grateful obscenities.

"Ohhhh, shit! Naru-ru-to-kun! Please… Don't f-fucking stop!" _'I am never using my own hand again!'_

Naruto had no intentions to do so. He developed a rhythm, rubbing and flicking her sensitive clit with his hand. All the while he continued his rigorous tongue-lashing, and the combination had Hinata wailing like a sex-craved banshee. Naruto would keep this up all day just to hear her lewd voice calling his name, but this proved unnecessary. The euphoric Hyuuga was nearing her limit, and even Naruto could tell. Her pussy had started to tighten around his tongue.

Trying to push her off the edge, his tongue and fingers switched places, both working furiously. While he sucked on her clit, his tongue playing with it in his mouth, his fingers thrust along her folds, reaching deeper than his tongue ever could.

Hinata could not handle Naruto's swift fingers and his tongue pushing her pleasure button simultaneously. For a few seconds Hinata saw stars as she lost out to her orgasm, splashing her cum on her lover's face.

The heiress was panting heavily, attempting to catch her breath with Naruto licking her clean of his beloved love nectar. When she could breathe evenly, Hinata rose. Naruto saw her motion to get up and backed away from the table to give her room. The second she got to her feet she practically leapt at Naruto, engaging his lips in a fiery exchange.

Naruto was almost shocked by the amount of passion and lust put into the kiss; he could almost taste her desire for him. Having Hinata's nude body pressing against him also brought his own desire to his attention. Feeling her lover's arousal, she subconsciously ground her hips against his bulging trousers. Naruto groaned into the kiss.

Suddenly the endowed girl broke the kiss to grab Naruto by the arm and wordlessly began leading him away from the dining room. Naruto could tell that this was not over, not by a longshot.

Hinata opened a door and the two entered what Naruto could only guess was her room. He tried to take a quick look around, but was unable to see anything as he was immediately pounced upon by Hinata. The two fell onto her bed, Naruto on his back with Hinata straddling him.

She engaged him in a fervent liplock, while her hands pawed around for the zipper of Naruto's jacket. When she began opening the orange garment, Naruto caught on and helped her shrug it off his shoulders. It was quickly followed by his shirt, which was discarded to a lonely corner of the room.

With his upper body exposed, Hinata mimicked the way Naruto had previously descended her body. She trailed kisses down his neck, making Naruto putty underneath her. As she travelled lower, she devoured his body with both her eyes and lips. She had seen his chest and abs, even felt them against her while receiving a hug, but now she was memorizing its taste and smell too, acquainting nearly all of her senses to her lover's body.

Finally reaching the defined 'V' of his stomach, the point of which disappeared inside his pants, the eager heiress slid down and grabbed his zipper. The blonde quickly snapped back to attention as he realised what Hinata was trying to do. He gently grasped her wrists before they undid his pants. Hinata looked up with an expression of both confusion and impatience plastered on her face.

"Hinata-chan, you really don't have to…"

"But Naruto-kun," she purred sensually as her look changed to one devoid of any innocence, "dinner is over, so now it is time for dessert. And I wanted a banana split, with extra whipped-cream." She licked her lips, never breaking eye contact with Naruto.

The blonde did not think it was possible for his _banana_ to get any harder, but apparently that did the trick. Something about Hinata dirty talking was just so… **hot**. Not to mention the smoldering stare she was giving him. So intense, so mischievous, so shameless, so… **hot**. He could not resist those pearly eyes which promised nothing but indecent intentions, and her look even told him that she knew.

Naruto's grip died with those words, and Hinata easily slipped her hands out of his and continued to undress the engrossed teen. She yanked off both his pants and boxers in a single motion, not having the patience to remove both separately. When the clothing joined his shirt in the corner of the room, Naruto laid fully exposed to Hinata.

'_Ohhhh yeah. __**Way**__ better than byakugan vision.'_ For a second, Hinata just drank in the sight of her fully naked love, though her eyes had trouble drifting away from his hardened package. The Hyuuga then proceeded to show Naruto that he was not the only one who learned a trick or two from his perverted sensei. Without further ado, Hinata lowered her head and made use of the knowledge she acquired from many volumes of Icha Icha.

Naruto's head involuntarily shot back as he began to experience a pleasure greater than he had previously known. Hinata grasped his rod and licked it from base to tip. Naruto's breathing became increasingly heavy as Hinata gave long, slow strokes while teasing his cock head with her tongue.

"Please… Don't tease me…" Naruto grunted pleadlingly. Hinata could not help but smirk. She finally had the boy of her dreams literally in the palm of her hand, begging for it. As much as the depraved recesses of her mind wanted to hear him squirm and grovel for making her wait so long for him, she would not deny him.

Hinata responded by opening wide and taking Naruto's length into her mouth. The warmth of the wet cavern felt so good on Naruto's cock, not to mention her slippery tongue wrapping and slithering around it. As she bobbed up and down it, she attempted to take more and more of it in each time.

Hinata got a bit more than half of his manhood into her mouth before it hit the back of her throat. The inexperienced kunoichi nearly gagged; she opted out of attempting to deepthroat him this time. Still, Naruto was grunting and moaning his enjoyment with every rise and dip of her head. He had to hold the bed sheets tightly to resist forcing that deepthroat upon her by slamming her head further onto his dick.

Hinata felt her crush's erection begin to throb violently in her mouth after a few more minutes of this. She knew he was almost there. Naruto tried to hold himself back longer to prolong the pleasure, but Hinata would have none of it. A soft hand cupped his sack, tenderly fondling and squeezing his testes, and Naruto lost it.

Hinata felt the stream of hot liquid as it started to shoot down her throat. She reared her head back enough to capture some of her sticky desert in her mouth to taste it. It tasted expectedly salty, and almost… ramen-y. Go figure.

Naruto's body was completely relaxed as he lied flat on the bed with a shit-eating grin and a far-off look. He heard Hinata mumbling something, as if she were talking with a mouth full of food. It sounded as if she was trying to get his attention, so he reluctantly mustered the strength to raise himself with his elbows to see what the girl still between his legs wanted.

His eyes were met by the image of Hinata with a mouthful of his own man juices, just in time to watch her close her mouth and, with an audible gulp, down the load of semen. She opened her mouth wide again, sticking out her tongue to show that she had swallowed the entire load. The blonde found himself already growing hard once again at an alarming rate. Naruto never ceased to be amazed by how lewd Hinata had become during the two years he was gone. The shy little mouse he had known before had **definitely** not been like this… Had she?

"Mmm, thanks for bringing desert, Naruto-kun," she cooed, keeping with the food metaphor, "It was delicious, and gave me just the energy boost I needed for the main event of our date."

Naruto had an idea what this _main event_ would be due to her perpetually sultry tone. As if to make it even more clear, she climbed back up his body, claiming his lips in a lust-filled kiss while subtly grinding against his hardening pole.

"…Hinata, are you sure about th-"

"Yes," Hinata cut him off between kisses.

"But what if y-"

"Birth-Control jutsu," she once again interrupted without a moment's pause.

"But won't it h-"

"Yes, but it is inevitable. Besides, the pain will only last a few minutes."

"But I've never done this bef-"

"Me either. We'll figure it out together."

"Is this really-"

"Fuck. Me. **Now.**"

Naruto nearly flinched at that. It was probably the first time Hinata had ever seemed scary. She sounded nearly as threatening as Sakura for a second. The jinchuuriki cast his doubts aside and gave in to what his body was silently begging for.

Naruto reversed their situation so Hinata was the one on her back without breaking the kiss. After positioning himself, he slowly entered her. Naruto could not believe the feeling of her slick walls around his manhood. A long moan betrayed his pleasure as he continued to insert himself into her. Hinata, on the other hand, was swallowing back whimpers of discomfort, not wanting to show her love that she was in pain. She knew he would feel guilty for doing this to her. She winced slightly as her virgin folds stretched to accommodate for the welcome intruder. Hinata hated that this would have to hurt, but for Naruto, it was more than worth it.

Naruto felt his tip hit a barrier, and he pushed through, burying the remaining inches of his cock inside her. This time Hinata could not help the cry that escaped her lips, nor the tears which pooled in the corners of her eyes before sliding down her face.

Naruto saw the tears, and kissed each one of them away, much to Hinata's appreciation. Despite the pain, the lavender-eyed lover formed a weak smile. She had given Naruto her heart years ago, and now her body was his too; she was overjoyed.

After a few minutes the sting of her deflowering had dulled considerably, and Hinata tested the waters by bucking her hips into Naruto a couple of times. Naruto noticed the signal from Hinata and began to move.

He started off slow, but found this grueling pace hard to maintain. He just wanted to plow her with everything he had, but would not allow himself to go too fast and harm her. As he slowly pumped into her, Hinata's pain was melting into the overwhelming pleasure brought on by having Naruto inside her. A few soft moans and mewls came from her, and Naruto took this as a sign that he could speed up.

Naruto gradually picked up speed, sending Hinata's head spinning even further. She began to get louder and louder, urging Naruto to increase his speed. "Yes… So… Good… Naruto-kun!" she shouted with every thrust.

Naruto loved the enticing encouragements she was showering him with. It drove him crazy, and he was trapped in the repetitive movements he was performing; the only thing his lust would allow him to do was speed up. He had his hands on each side of the blissful Hyuuga to support himself. He watched the girl underneath him as she writhed in ecstasy, her large boobs bouncing up and down in time with him. He took one hand off the bed to cup her soft cheek as he lowered his head to once again ravage her mouth while pistoning wildly in and out of her. Hinata responded immediately, and soon wrapped her legs around his waist to allow him to penetrate her deeper. Naruto brought the hand on her cheek down to her chest, fondling a plush breast. Hinata just moaned louder into the kiss.

A few minutes later, Naruto broke away from the kiss, but not for air. The sensations were becoming unbearable. The same went for Hinata. She was screaming in rapture, unable to even pronounce her love's name. "NAAA – OOOOHH – T –TAAAHHH… Almost…"

"Me too, Hina!" he responded, also having difficulty with her full name.

After releasing a particularly loud, hypnotising moan, Naruto felt her pussy close even more snugly around his steel-hard cock. He found it tough to move, but loved the tight, wet warmth at the same time. With a final thrust, the blonde felt all his cravings fulfilled as he released his hot sperm into her.

After emptying his balls into the post-orgasmic Hyuuga, Naruto pulled his satisfied penis out of her, and directed himself to Hinata's right before collapsing beside her on the bed. The two just lied there, catching their breath and staring into the other's eyes. Neither could find the words to describe what they had just experienced.

After a couple minutes of the comfortable silence, Naruto was first to talk. "That was amazing, Hinata-chan," he professed with a wide smile.

She simply raised an eyebrow and let out an inquisitive, "Oh?" She draped a slender arm over his chest, and tangled her left leg with his. She closed the distance between them to nibble on her crush's ear. "_Was_? You don't mean to tell me that you're done already, do you?" she breathed out in a steaming sultry voice. The blonde in question could immediately feel the blood rush back to his manhood. "Ready for round two?" she whispered seductively, her hands roaming his craving body.

With enthusiasm Naruto gave the only sane answer to that question. "Believe it!"

* * *

Two hours later, the pair lied on the bed. Each was covered in a thick sheen of sweat, remnants of their ramen dinner, and each other's bodily juices. They were both basking in the afterglow of what they had just done – repeatedly – and snuggling into the warmth of the other's body. Naruto pulled the blanket over them as Hinata hummed contentedly into his chest.

Hinata was at her most peaceful. She nuzzled Naruto's chest fondly. Nothing compared to the comfort she was feeling now. _'If only Hanabi, Neji and father would leave for a whole __**month**__,'_ she thought with a wistful sigh. The lavender-eyed lover realised that she would not be able to get as much _quality time_ with her crush after her family returned. **Especially** not in her own home; her father would never approve of such a thing if he found out.

That brought about an unpleasant train of thought for Hinata. For the first time, she actually thought about the possible repercussions for what she – _they_ had done. Many reactions came to mind, none of them good. If she had any other father in the world she would not be worried, but she was the daughter to the lord of a supposedly all-seeing clan, and he certainly lived up to the name. Whenever she or her sister had disobeyed him or gotten themselves in some sort of trouble, their father almost always found out. Sure Hinata had managed to get away with more since Hanabi became of age to train in Gentle Fist, as Hiashi had become completely disinterested in her, but shortly after her chuunin promotion her father began paying a little more attention to her as she 'began to show some promise'. Even if he still had not come to care for her as much as she would hope, surely he would have an opinion about who the heiress was having relations with – especially the _intimate_ kind. If word got to her father that she was engaging in these lewd acts, especially with someone of such low status, she was **dead**. Hinata cursed that she had to have the cruelest, and possibly scariest, father ever.

* * *

**In Suna**

In the office of the Kazekage, Gaara suddenly sneezed from behind his desk. "Who is it?" he called out in his normal annoyed monotone to the two who had also just sneezed on the other side of the door.

Without answer, the door swung open as the brother and sister of the Kazekage strolled into the room. "Hey Gaara, guess what we found!" an uncharacteristically giddy Temari exclaimed happily.

"I've told you before, you cannot just waltz in here anytime you want unless you have something urgent to discuss. I am busy right now."

"Aw, stop giving us that bull!" the puppet master said. "There's nothing going on today and you know it!"

"It does not matter," Gaara argued, "It is the duty of the village leader to stay diligent and focused in case of –"

"But look!" Temari whined, holding up a large book. "We found the old family photo album!"

Gaara just looked over to Kankuro. Though his expression had not changed, his brother could read his thoughts. "I dunno, I guess it's just one of those things all girls get all emotional over," he guessed with a shrug.

The ponytailed kunoichi acted more like herself and gave her brother a punch in the arm hard enough to leave a bruise. "Hey! These are precious family memories! Like this one!" Temari had opened the album on Gaara's desk, and was pointing to a photo of her, Kankuro and their parents from when they were kids.

They continued looking through the collection of pictures; Kankuro had even become nostalgic, though Gaara remained unfazed. Kankuro poked fun at his sister over a funny picture of the time she had gotten into her mother's makeup kit when she was eight, until Temari found one of the first time he had tried putting on **his** makeup.

After a while the siblings reached the end of the album, and Temari came upon a realization. "Oh no! We don't have any pictures of you, Gaara!" she said worriedly.

"Makes sense; mom was always the one who took all the pictures," Kankuro responded somewhat sadly.

"Yeah, but dad still photographed our enrollment and graduation from the academy! He should have done the same for him, or at least have a baby picture, or something!" Temari said with some anger towards her father. She truly felt bad for the way he had treated his youngest child.

"Well, he actually did have a lot of photos of me, just not in the album." The fan wielder turned to Gaara.

"Really? Where did he keep them?"

Gaara simply pulled out a stack of folders from the top drawer of his desk. Sure enough, each contained multiple pictures of the former jinchuuriki. "Why do you keep these so close all the time, huh? I knew you were a softy behind all that sand," Kankuro teased, earning no reaction from the stoic Kage.

As they looked through the images, the elder sand siblings noticed something strange. All the photos seemed to be taken from far away, and Gaara appeared to be completely unaware. On top of that, all the pictures were merely of Gaara alone, seemingly going through his daily routine.

"Say, Gaara… What's up with these pictures?"

"Wait – are these… mission files?" a confused Temari questioned after reading the writing on the top of the folders.

"Yes, they are from the assassination missions." Even saying this, Gaara remained utterly emotionless. Temari and Kankuro finally reached the file with the mission details in their folders, each with a red 'KIA' stamp over the names of the shinobi assigned to said missions. The two sweat a little, both due to the image they were receiving of a child taking out multiple skilled ninja and their sibling's casual behaviour over these being the only memories their father had kept of Gaara's childhood.

* * *

**Back in Hinata's Bed**

Hinata decided that what had happened today – and hopefully many more times to come – would be treated like and S-class secret from her father. She would have to be very careful with the information.

This would be tough though, as her friend Ino, Konoha's gossip queen, was sure to ask for all the unadulterated details if the Hyuuga gave any away any hints of her and Naruto's wild night. With the right amount of lying and some flawless acting on her part, she just might be able to convince the blonde that the two of them had not progressed that far.

Even without the threat of her father separating them, the thought of everyone in town talking about her sex life was nearly enough to even make the kunoichi faint, despite having kicked the habit long ago.

* * *

**In the Hidden Horizon**

Ogi Revo gazed across his clan's bar, which was bustling with even more customers than usual this particular night. As this was the unofficially designated hub for all talk and gambling over the Leaf's most interesting would-be couple, when word spread of Naruto's talks with his senseis, everyone headed down to the bar wondering if tonight would be the night the two finally got together. Many of the patrons were drinking and chatting, some waiting impatiently for any updates, while some of the more inebriated were laughing and arguing with their buddies over how the two were going to get it on.

As Ogi looked from behind the counter, he mused to himself, _'When those two become of age, we're going to have to give them all the free drinks they want to thank them for all this business!'_

Then, the damnedest thing happened. In some sort of freak coincidence, everyone in the bar sneezed in unison.

* * *

**Back With Hinata**

She really did not wish for that kind of attention. And she could just imagine everyone's reactions – Neji probably would not be much better than her father, and Sakura would most likely beat Naruto to a bloody pulp.

Hinata decided perhaps it would be best if she kept this confidential for now, even from her friends.

But what about Naruto? He may not be some sort of womanizing playboy who would immediately go to brag about his latest sexual conquest, but he was known as a bit of a loudmouth, and often did not know when to keep his mouth shut. Hinata was one of the few who actually appreciated this quality of his, despite it contrasting so much with her old introverted personality. He was an open book; you always knew how he felt and where you stood with him. She could just imagine this trait coming to bite her in the ass now though.

"_Sorry I'm late, Kakashi-sensei. Hinata really tired me out last night. I barely got any sleep!"_

"_Come on, baa-chan! Don't you have any shorter missions? I really wanted to spend the night with Hinata!"_

"_That's a pretty decent sexy jutsu Konohamaru, but it is still inferior to mine! I recently perfected my technique! All I needed was a live model for a reference point. Thanks to Hinata, I finally managed to get the curves just right! Watch!"_

"_Forget about your pervy research, ero-sennin! __**I'll**__ write your next book for you, using my own sexual experiences with Hinata-chan! I shall call it: Icha Icha Ramen!"_

Okay, so some of her examples were a _bit_ of a stretch, she still couldn't risk it though. After all, it was her future with the loudmouthed blonde she was risking.

She lazily lifted her head from Naruto's chest to stare into his eyes. Naruto formed a tired smile on his face. Smiling back, Hinata began to speak softly. "Naruto… Can we try to just keep this between the two of us? I don't want everyone finding out …"

There was a short pause, but Naruto mumbled out a "Sure," to the blue haired beauty before him. Hinata merely returned to her place in his chest with a grateful smile, taking a deep inhale and sighing happily. She trusted Naruto completely to keep this secret. He never went back on his word; that was their nindo.

If Hinata had not been so drowsy, she might have noticed the fighting emotions playing on his face. As the heiress drifted off to a peaceful sleep, Naruto furrowed his brow in thought, the hands which were previously rubbing up and down his lover's bare back now still.

The entire night, Naruto failed to believe that any of this was happening. The entire day had felt like some sort of heavenly dream, but now he felt his happiness come crashing down.

Unfortunately for the love struck teens, a mixture of Naruto's upbringing and his own insecurities caused him to misunderstand Hinata's innocent request. Though nobody could actually tell, Naruto's personality had actually been slightly influenced by his two infamous senseis. He was already a loudmouth to begin with, and with the fact that his only role models for years were two of the biggest open perverts in Konoha, either reading, writing, or _researching _for porn shamelessly in public nonstop, the word 'discretion' was not in the blonde's vocabulary. The idea that Hinata was referring to keeping discreet about their lovemaking never occurred to him. He assumed she wanted him to avoid telling anyone that they were dating.

But why would she not want anyone to know? Why was it such a big deal? There was only one explanation that made sense to the jinchuuriki, one that he had dealt with his entire life.

She was ashamed of him. The demon host understood, thought sadly, why she would not want to be associated with him that way. After all, no one ever wanted to hang out with the dead-last. No one ever wanted to be associated with the demon child. Shopkeepers would shoe him away as quickly as possible so as to not scare away the customers. Sure, he was on good terms with all of the Konoha eleven, even the ones who were not particularly good friends, but he assumed asking for anything more must just be too much.

But that was ok. He could live with that. Even if she did not want to endure the embarrassment of being known as the outcast's girlfriend, he could deal with the secret relationship. As long as she cared for him, he couldn't ask anything more.

…She did care for him, right? Right?

Naruto frowned. As much as his heart wanted to believe this, his damned brain had to ruin it for him. If she truly liked him at all, Naruto was certain she would not hide it from everyone. After all, Neji was from the same status dicksizing clan as Hinata, and if anything was twenty times the elitist ass that the humble heiress was, and **he** had no qualms about letting the others know about his relationship with Tenten, who did not even belong to a ninja family. Shikamaru and Temari were from different villages that, despite their alliance, were still sometimes resentful towards each other. Despite all the nasty glares Temari would get from Konoha townspeople that remembered the Sand's invasion, neither made any attempts to hide their long-distance relationship.

Why, then? Why would she agree to this in the first place? Was this some sort of pity-date? Was she simply too kind to turn him down? If the following events were any indication, perhaps she was just a closet pervert, thinking his loneliness would make him easy? Or maybe this whole night was just some big, dumb mistake that she was already starting to regret?

Either way, it left Naruto heartbroken knowing that Hinata did not care about him the way he did her, that if it was between him and her reputation, she would choose her reputation. Her snug hold on him, which brought him such a warm feeling of belonging before, now burned like a thousand hot coals.

He would give up many things for his precious people. He would give his money, his time, he had even been prepared to die to protect his friends on multiple occasions, but one thing he would not give up was his self-respect. It was that same prideful sense in himself that kept him going when everyone told him he was worthless, it was what made him want to prove to the world what he was capable of, it was the reason he vowed to become Hokage and gain everyone else's respect too. And that self-respect would not allow him to cling to somebody who would never care for him and become her dirty little secret. To do that would just be like accepting that he was the piece of trash everyone else saw him as.

He felt so many painful emotions then. Sorrow, betrayal, loneliness, and even a hint of a deep, growing hatred, directed at Hinata for toying with his heart, at himself for believing in something so preposterous, at the Kyuubi for wrecking his life, at the Fourth Hokage for sealing him there, at the **world**, for never letting him have any happiness...

* * *

**In the Hidden Horizon**

The shinobi bar was packed as ever with the gossiping, gambling ninjas of the Hidden Leaf. The bar was filled with the noises of laughter, chatter, the clinking of bottles, and ear-splitting karaoke. A few of the more wasted of the bar regulars managed to find an old karaoke machine and decided to entertain themselves for a while while they waited for any new NaruHina gossip.

Many of the inebriated ninjas thought it was hilarious singing love songs and replacing the lyrics and any names with Naruto and Hinata's. At least a dozen parodied versions of many classic hits had already been skillfully butchered by the drunk clowns. Kotetsu had sung Andy Gibb's '(Love Is) Thicker Than Ramen', while Izumo had followed him with Van Morrison's 'Lavender-Eyed Girl.' Guy, who proved to be just as much a lightweight as Rock Lee, if less violent, performed 'Believe It! A Thing Called Love' by the Darkness, falling offstage before the final chorus, which was a blessing to the other customers who now had massive headaches. Kurenai, who was drinking to try to get the image of what her own student could be doing right now, gave everyone a laugh with Motley Crue's 'Too Dumb To Fall In Love.' Tsume Inuzuka got a kick out of the Scorpions' 'Still Loving You… Still Loving You… Stiiiiillll Loving You…' Even the Hokage had joined in, showing her age with her choice of an old jazz standard popularised by artists like Frank Sinatra and Chet Baker, the parody of which she dubbed 'My Horny Valentine.' Anko, of course, had to class the establishment up with her version of Nicki Minaj's 'Anaconda.' No one knew how, but she had actually managed to make the song even dirtier. However, no one had the guts to inform her that she had actually been singing into a shoe rather than the mic, let alone that the song was not even on the karaoke machine. She just started singing, obviously skunk drunk.

The merriments of the bargoers were hushed into an anxious silence as three ANBU knelt in front of the Hokage. While the shinobi and kunoichi all grinned, finally about to hear if anything was going on, the more inebriated already snickering as their imaginations raced, Tsuande was the opposite. The entire squad had returned, when she had specifically ordered at least one member to survey the pair at all times. That and the fact that the boar-masked captain was not giggling childishly as he usually was when bringing juicy news gave the Sennin the feeling that something bad had happened.

"Report your findings" Tsunade ordered in a calm but demanding tone. Most of the others in the bar were too intoxicated to notice the heightened seriousness in her voice.

Boar lifted his head and began to deliver this new development to the village leader, and everyone else listening. "It's the nine-tails..."

Everyone's eyes became wide. This was **not** the news they were expecting. Tsunade grew a look of worry. _'Naruto…'_ Slamming her hands on the table, sobered up by this potential crisis, Tsunade shouted to her subordinates, "What about the Kyuubi?! Spit it out!"

"…He is no longer sealed in the boy…"

Now everyone's mouth was agape in shock. Kakashi nearly ripped his mask open with how wide his was. Many broke out in a cold sweat from fear of the beast, while others were concerned for Naruto's safety. Tsunade kept herself as composed as possible as she urged the ANBU to continue. "How could this happen!"

The masked ninja leader proceeded in a grave and dangerously slow voice. "The nine-tails… is no longer sealed within the boy… because that boy… is now a **MAN**! Hinata and Naruto finally did it!" the ANBU finished in an excited tone, throwing his arms into the air in celebration.

Everyone just stared, frozen. For a minute, nobody said a word. And then…

"**YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! ! !"** Whoops and hollers of celebration filled the room after they realised the cruel trick played on them and what had happened. The roaring of the pub carried on for quite a while, waking up nearly everyone in the neighbourhood. The volume of the cheering customers was only rivaled by a groggy, collective "troublesome" emanating less than a minute later from a certain clan compound a couple blocks away.

While the others enjoyed a free round of drinks in honor of the occasion, a pissed off Tsunade punched the ANBU captain hard enough to embed him into the wall behind him for playing such a horrible joke on her. The bartender looked to the deep dent the shinobi fell out of. He was definitely going to have to get a plaque for that wall. A testament to the strength (and temper) of the Fifth for years to come. It would be as good an addition as any to the collection of past Hokage memorabilia the bar had collected, including a Hiraishin kunai the Fourth had left months before his death for when he needed to arrive there fast for a quick drink after a restless day of tending to his pregnant wife, which was now proudly framed on the wall.

"Now what was that about my student being gay?" Iruka asked Anko in an 'I told you so' voice.

"Ahh, whatever. I bet he made her wear a strap-on," the snake lady slurred out, dismissing Iruka while fighting for balance.

Kakashi turned to Asuma after glancing around the bar. "Hmm… It doesn't seem like Jiraiya-sama is here. How much do you want to bet he's doing some _research_ for his newest book right now? How do you think Naruto and Hinata would feel about starring in one of his stories?" The two jonin chuckled at the notion, however Tsunade cut in with a humorous "hmph!"

"Fat chance! I got tired of that perv's antics, so I sent him on a mission. I made up some bullshit about a lead on the Akatsuki leader, and he bought it hook, line and sinker. I sent him to the Hidden Rain village; that should keep him busy for a couple weeks!"

* * *

**In the Village Hidden In the Rain**

As Jiraiya sank deeper into the watery abyss, he couldn't help but smile in his final thoughts. Finally he had accomplished that one final act of daring do that just might erase all his past failures.

'_The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya… Perhaps now it will have a better ending. The final chapter – I'll call it: 'Toad at the Bottom of the Well Drifts off into the Great Ocean.' Just barely glorious, but glorious indeed. I guess it's time I put down my pen… Oh wait, what should I name the sequel? How about: 'The Tale of Naruto Uzumaki.' Yeah, that has a nice ring to it. Chapter One: 'Naruto opens the door, only to find his date lying on the kitchen table, her modesty covered by nothing but ramen. She eyed him hungrily as Naruto approached to passionately devour his awaiting meal.' Heheh… Glorious indeed…'_

**(A/N: Hope you're happy ImaSoBored, Jiraiya finally got his karmic punishment.)**

* * *

**Back In The Hidden Horizon**

"I don't know, Tsunade. I've got a sinking feeling about this," Kakashi said skeptically. **(A/N: Before you ask… YES, I feel like a horrible human being for making these jokes. I think I might deserve some sort of PUNishment myself…)**

"Yeah, and you're gonna be in a sea of trouble if he finds out you made up something that serious," Asuma added.

"Whatever. I know that old toad can be annoying as hell when he's upset, but Naruto and Hinata are god kids – or should I say young adults, now – they don't deserve their first time to be with that lecher staring at them through the window. There are plenty of other fish in the sea for him to do his sick _research_ on," Tsunade with replied.

"On a more important note, we might as well get this out of the way right now. Who in here had this week in the pool?" she shouted out to the others. To everyone's surprise, the first person to get up and approach her was none other than Hiashi Hyuuga, bearing his trademark smug Hyuuga smirk.

"Too easy," he quietly said to himself more than anyone else.

"Wait, is this why you dragged me out of the house, uncle?!" an appalled Neji said with wide eyes from beside him. Though he was still a year underage, the owners of the bar would not even think of kicking him out. He was accompanying Hiashi, and everyone knew better than to turn down the head of the Hyuuga. The branch family member was originally confused why his uncle ordered him to accompany him while he visited some good friends from an allied clan on the other end of the village, even more confused when he found out that they were sleeping there, and absolutely baffled when the clan head had brought him to such a classless bar. To find out his uncle was gambling, especially with what he was betting on or how he had stacked the deck in his favour like that, was a complete shock to Neji. He had no idea his uncle had this side to him, nor was he particularly fond of it.

He continued his angry rant. "A bet?! You would gamble away your own daughter's purity! Is this why you left her alone for the week, so that idiot could taint her!"

Hiashi quirked a brow and half-turned to his seething nephew. "Oh? Tainted, now? Is this what you call your lovely Tenten-san too?" he questioned knowingly.

Like that Neji's anger all but defused. Apparently he had inherited the same blushing genes as Hinata, he just did not show it often. Looking away, he shakily answered, "I… I don't know what you're talking about."

While Neji was questioning whether or not Hiashi was some form of omniscient creature, Iruka decided to enter the conversation. "If you ask me, he's just upset 'cause he was wrong. He thought it would never happen for those two," Iruka informed, recalling an earlier conversation. "If I remember correctly, his exact words were 'I'll be dead before that dense baka so much as holds her hand.'" **(A/N: For those of you who get the reference… Yep, I still feel like a horrible human being. Way too much dark humor in this chapter…)**

Neji's look became indignant as he still refused to make eye-contact, mumbling "That's not it…"

"Figures," Hiashi said with a slightly happier smirk, "He always has been a bit of a know-it-all; he never could stand to be wrong."

"Uncle!" Neji whined pleadingly like an embarrassed child.

"You're telling me! **I** had to teach him! Did you know after **every** test, he would come up to me and argue over **every **wrong answer he had! He was so snobby it was unbelievable!"

"Iruka-sensei!" Neji whined again.

Hiashi was having a friendly conversation, Neji was acting like a child, Naruto actually returned Hinata's feelings, and Hinata had finally gotten laid – er, _loved_. Yes, very deeply _loved_. Perhaps the Kyuubi actually had been released; all the signs of the apocalypse were present. One could only assume that somewhere far away, both Sasuke and Gaara were smiling brightly while Orichimru dedicated his research to curing cancer.

But of course, as always, joyful times such as this were not meant to last. A dark cloud hung over not only Konoha's beloved pair of lovers, but the whole village itself.

* * *

**ALTERNATE ENDING**

* * *

**A/N: As I've said before, I originally intended to end the fic with Hinata getting together, in this chapter. However, because I decided to keep the fic going, and give it a bit more plot, the chapter got changed a bit. Since I kept you all waiting so much longer for it, I thought about giving you guys a little bonus by showing you all how I originally intended to end this chap/series, with Hinata accidentally screaming out her love for Naruto in the throes of passion, revealing her secret and beginning a beautiful romance in the cheesiest of ways possible. However, I decided that would be utterly pointless and a waste of both our time, not to mention delay the upload even longer, so I just half-assed it. ENJOY!**

* * *

Naruto thrusted his footlong cock in hinatas hrny pussy one final time, all the wy up to her fallopian tubes, releasing a metric gallon of his jizz inside her. "I love you so much Naruto!" she screamed as he filled her with his lovly cum that made her organism a second time. "You do?" Naruto asked with his foxy confused face. Hinta realised she had said that out loud, and became so red like a tomato she was afraid Naruto would chop her head up and put it in a salad. She looked to the side and her fingers she shyly told her "Yes. Ever since the academy" She cried becase she knew he did not love her too, but then Naruto surprised her. "I love you to!" he happily said. Now Hinata was shocked. "R-real-ly?" she stutterd again. "Yeah!" Hinata was so happy, and they becam e a coupul. And so the two horny teen agers continued to have crazy, unprotected sex, constantly, but never got pregnand. Or maybe she did, but she was, really scared Naruto would hate him now. So she hide it from him, but he found out and he loved her and their childs even more. So they got marry. But then Hiazi founded out and disowned her, so she move in with Naruto, and they got to have even more unproteted sex. He tries to put caged bird seal on her but, kyuubi told Naruto how to get rid of it, and he got rid neji's too. Even when she was big, and pregnant he still said she was beautifully and fcked her so hard the twins she was having turned into triplets. Also, Naruto kicked sasuke's butt and dragged him back to the village and became they were friends again, and Sasuke marry Sakura because she was only 1 that still love him. Also, Naruto kids' got awesome Kyuubi powers because they're dad was the jinchuuriki, and will be in my sequal "Take a Hint: Generation Y".

* * *

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed! I still have my doubts that I should have gone with the original ending. I mean, it was so epic!**

**Lol jk, sorta did like a parody of THOSE fanfics. You know which ones I'm talking about, the kind where it looks like the author was most likely a five year old with no grammar, no spellcheck, didn't know how to use the 'ENTER' key, and speaks English as a fourth language.**

**But on a serious note, I hope this chap turned out well. It had sex, the sand siblings, Hiashi &amp; Neji, a couple attempted trolls (Did I get anyone? :D No? D: Don't lie, I can just picture your face in the beginning! "Oh yeah, Hinata's gonna be completely naked and they're gonna do it! Finally my perverted needs shall be met!" ...She made ramen. "Goddamn you, Not-So-GentleFist!"), all your favourite classic love songs (parodies), and Jirai…ya… (Sorry for that, RIP in peace,man. You guys have no idea how many times I rewatched his death scene, I cri everytime. I have most of his speech vaguely memorized. All the way from "In the ninja world, it's not how you live, it's how you die."). It was mostly sex and plot (**_**Yes, sooo much plot.**_**) Shut up sarcastic me! Anyway, some of the jokes may have gotten a bit dark, but hey, guess I'm just a dark, shy weirdo!**

**Hinata: Please N-Not-So-GentleFist-san, d-don't make fun of me like that…**

**Me: Hey, Hinata what are you doing! You know I'm not one of those authors that does these kinds of skits!**

**Hinata: Oh, g-gomen…**

…_**Anyway**_**, I know some of you guys are probly cheering your hard dicks off that I finally did the lemon, while others are probly pissed at me for what I did to their relationship right now. All I can say is don't worry, authors write in mysterious ways. It will all work out in the end. You guys know me, I'm a huge NaruHina supporter, I would never keep them separated!**

…**Then again, my only other fanfic ended that way… But SURELY that won't happen to this one, right? I mean, I already know how this ends, with the happy couple reunited in love! Why am I questioning myself! **

…**Oh right, I guess I don't really have it **_**all**_** planned out, I have the general outline for the next few chapters, and a couple other plot ideas, but not much else… But surely, they will end up together, right? RIGHT?!**

**KEEP READING TO FIND OUT!**

**FAVE/FOLLOW/REVIEW/TAKE A COLD SHOWER!**


	14. Chapter 12: Dine n' Dash

**A/N:**

**IMPORTANT BACKGROUND INFO: Decided to put this at the top to make sure no one missed this and skipped the author's note. Ok, so there are going to be a few differences between my fic and the canon timeline. Basically, I sorta skipped past the Hidan &amp; Kakazu arc because I didn't know how to incorporate it into the story, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with them, Kurenai &amp; Asuma. Basically, I decided that in this fic, the arc never happened, the two Akutsuki members and Asuma are still alive. This will not be very important in this chapter, but I plan to use the duo sometime in future chapters. Also, Kurenai is not pregnant (decided that would be best, as I said she was drinking last chapter, and Kurenai is not an irresponsible mommy! Also, I wanted her to still be leading Team 8).**

**So yeah, key plotline differences! I feel like I'm evolving as a fanfic writer throughout the run of this series alone; it started off as pure naughty comedy that stuck to canon, now I'm adding some hurt/drama themes or whatever, and establishing some differences from the canon plotline. Who knows what's next!**

**I hope you all enjoy this, and I hope you all find it in your hearts to forgive me! Hey, every love story has its sad moments. I tried to keep at least a little comedy in there so the fic didn't completely lose its humorous identity! Let me know if it worked. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto cris evry tiem, because even he secretly wants his creations, Naruto and Hinata, to end up together.**

"Speech"

'Thought'

'_**Kyuubi Thought'**_**/"Kyuubi Speech in Mindscape"**

* * *

Hinata groaned in discomfort. She was cold. She reached out for her favourite blonde pillow.

Except he was not there.

The resting heiress reached out to grab nothing but air. She was the only occupant in her bed. She slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the morning light entering from the window. Hinata was indeed alone. The kunoichi would have written the previous night off as some glorious dream if it were not for the ramen-soaked bedsheets and the soreness between her legs reassuring her.

Hinata wondered where Naruto went. Perhaps he had gone downstairs to fix himself breakfast? Or maybe he got up to take a shower? Hoping for the latter, the Hyuuga leisurely activated her byakugan to check the house.

To her disappointment it was empty. Hinata formed a small frown as she released her bloodline technique. It did not last long though; after last night nothing could keep her down for long. Wherever Naruto was, she was sure he had a good reason for leaving.

With a yawn a glowing Hinata rose from her bed and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

As the hot water trailed down her body, her hands caressed her curvaceous form, soaping herself up. She could not help but imagine Naruto's touch in place of her own hands running up and down her body. The way he had touched her had felt so delicate yet firm, sensual but hungry. She would have to start off wearing something other than ramen next time; she was curious what it would feel like being stripped by her whiskered lover.

After her shower the blue-haired kunoichi dressed in her usual ninja attire consisting of her mesh shirt and navy-blue capris. The dirtied bed sheets were taken out of the room with her and to the laundry room where they were placed in the machine and set to be washed.

While she walked toward the kitchen to fix herself breakfast she had to be careful to avoid the slippery trail of broth that still lied on the floor in puddles. It would be a lot of work cleaning up her own mess from last night, but to Hinata it was well worth it.

It had been magical. Just hours ago Hinata had shared her first time with the boy she loved, uniting their bodies as one. Finally, nearly two years' worth of sexual tension had been released in a single, beautiful act of love and lust. After being asked out then subsequently plowed by her love, there were only four words that could have made the day perfect: 'Hinata, I love you'. The lavender-eyed girl could not hold it against Naruto though; after all, she had felt this way towards him for years and still could not say the words. As of last night she had officially proclaimed to him that she loved his fingers, his member, and that thing he did with his tongue, but she could not bring up the courage to say she loved **him**, all of him. She could not expect such a confession from Naruto immediately. Still, she prayed that one day he would grow to feel as strongly for her as she did for him.

Hinata's thoughts were ended abruptly and she let out a worried gasp, covering her mouth with her hands. _'The flowers!'_ She rushed over to the flowers which lied forgotten on the cold dining room floor. A frown overtook her lips after she bent down and picked the bouquet up. They were mangled, flattened and sticky. Apparently in their haste the lovers must have trampled them on the way to the bedroom. Her first gift from Naruto, and it was ruined.

Hinata remorsefully laid the flowers on the table. There was no point trying to save them; no amount of trimming or other trickery would revive their former beauty.

And then her smile was back and she was once again on top of the world. Truly nothing could keep her down today.

Or so she thought, until she walked up to her fridge to find a sticky note marred with the four words that managed to drain the gleeful girl's mood: 'I can't do this.'

* * *

Naruto was perched atop the Hokage monument. He had not been up there since his training trip, so he decided to check out the view from Tsunade's carving. It was certainly a more comfortable spot than the Fourth's head; his spiky hair was not very accommodating. Naruto let out a single chuckle to himself. _'It'll never age, just like Baa-chan's actual face._'

This was where he had always come to clear his mind when he was younger. Very few people ever came up there so there were no interruptions, and the view of the village helped distract him from his troubles. It was relaxing to the teen to watch all the distant people going about their daily lives, and to be able to see all the familiar places.

Like there, just a couple miles off to the right was his favourite restaurant, Ichiraku's Ramen. It was one of the few restaurants that would serve the demon host. Teuchi was never ashamed of having him as a regular customer; he had never tried to hide this fact to avoid losing any business. In fact, Naruto could remember overhearing the chef mentioning Naruto fondly to other customers.

"_You think __**that's**__ a big order? You should see how much Naruto eats!"_

Naruto continued panning across his hometown. Not too far away, forward and slightly to the left, the depressed teen recognized the Sarutobi compound. This sight produced memories of his rival and student Konohamaru. He had never been ashamed to say that he was following in the footsteps of the outcast shinobi. The young genin would rant incessantly to comrades, senseis, family and friends alike about every little thing he had learned from Naruto and how he would one day surpass him.

It helped ease the pain of his recent heartbreak to know that there were still some people who were not afraid to associate with him, who were not afraid of opinionated villagers judging them as they judged him.

'_**Oi kit, what in the hell are you moping around for now?'**_

Naruto sighed in frustration. With his situation it was impossible to ever truly have a moment alone. _'Since when do you care how I'm feeling?' _the jinchuuriki asked back scathingly.

'_**I don't,' **_Kyuubi started bluntly, _**'I'm just confused how in the world you could be so Kami-damn miserable and pathetic after you just mated with that Hyuuga vixen.'**_

'_I ended… whatever it was we had,' _Naruto replied in a bleak monotone, not having enough relationship experience to know exactly what to call their relationship after their date/one-night stand.

'_**EH?! Why the fuck would you do that! Are you mad?! Are you gay?'**_

Naruto's brows furrowed for a second. He was not even going to justify that last question with an answer. _'You should know; you were there,'_ the blonde said, not wanting to have to say it.

'_**No duh, I'm **_**always**_** with you. But I dozed off after you two started getting all cuddly; I cannot stand that cutesy-crap. And I **_**know **_**you could not have changed your mind before that, unless you realized that women do not tickle your fancy.'**_

The lonely Uzumaki drooped his head. _'She was embarrassed of me. She didn't want to be known as the demon child's boyfriend.'_

'_**Bullshit,' **_Kyuubi responded in disbelief, _**'I thought she was supposed to be the kindest person in village. Why would she do that to you?'**_

The demon fox could feel Naruto's mental glare on him. _'Why? You're why! You're always why!'_ Venom dripped from the angry blonde's voice as he lashed out at his prisoner.

'_**There you go, blaming all your problems on me again.'**_ The giant fox could hear his jailor growling more angrily than he ever could, but still continued. _**' "I can't make any friends because I have the king of demons inside me," "Nobody loves me because I'm the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki," "My chakra control is shit because I have so much demonic chakra," "Oh, I'm such a whiney bitch because the nine-tails is sealed inside me," oh boo-hoo,' **_Kurama imitated with a fake sob.

'_Hey! I never said you made me a whiney bitch!'_

'_**Good, because that one definitely is not my fault.'**_

'_Just shut up and leave me alone Kyuubi.'_

'_**Fine, just remove this seal for me and I'll go into town for a while and give you your space.'**_

"Just **shut up**!" Naruto roared. He had actually said this out loud. Fortunately, no eavesdroppers were around to witness the shinobi shouting to himself.

Hearing the distress and rage in his voice, the demon kept quiet and left the jinchuuriki to his wallowing, knowing the boy would not be able to hold a pleasant conversation with the beast right now.

* * *

Hinata's uneasiness was visible in her nervous steps forward. She had spent half the morning contemplating Naruto's note, desperately trying to find a way it could possibly mean anything other than that he did not want to continue seeing her. The teary-eyed heiress had wasted a good portion of her morning interpreting the heart-crushing sentence.

Still, she had a duty as a kunoichi of Konoha. She had managed, though with great difficulty, to piece herself back together, put on an opaque mask of cheerfulness and walked to her team's training ground.

That was where Hinata began getting even more worried. When she had arrived, Kurenai had greeted her with a blush and giggles. Her sensei had allowed her to leave the training ground early, claiming she 'looked like she needed some rest'. At first the Hyuuga had been confused, until an unpleasant thought came to mind. _'What if she knows?'_

Sure, her sensei knew her well, but she had hoped it was not **that** obvious that she had had a _busy_ night. What was worse was that Kurenai was not the only person acting suspicious. On the contrary, a vast number of the shinobi she passed seemed to be giving her weird looks. The byakugan wielder would even catch whispers of jokes and hushed giggles.

Hinata simply walked along, going through her normal routine and trying not to draw any more attention. _'Maybe it's all just a coincidence,' _she reassured herself. _'I'm just being paranoid.'_

After convincing herself that all the eyes she felt on her were just a construction of her paranoid mind, Anko Mitarashi happened to walk by. "Ya know, if you ever wanna try your hand at some seduction missions, just come to me. The pay is good and the jobs are pretty cushy," Anko punctuated with a blush-inducing wink.

"W-why would you want **me **for s-seduction missions?" the confused and embarrassed Hyuuga asked.

"Hah!" Orichimaru's former apprentice barked. "Are you kidding me? You actually managed to get that hyperactive gaki Naruto's attention long enough to get him out of his clothes! That alone probably makes you the most qualified ninja in the village."

'_Oh my god. Everyone knows.'_

With a heavy pat on the back and a "Think about it!" Anko walked by, continuing with her day while Hinata let her revelation sink in.

She had sorely wished she was wrong, but apparently her instincts had not failed her. Everyone knew. Hinata scurried down the street a bit more hastily. The reserved kunoichi shied away from the stares and stifled laughter of the town citizens she passed. She quickly reached her destination, Ichiraku ramen.

Hinata had been so distraught by Naruto's parting note that she had neglected to eat anything before heading out for training. She hunched over the counter slightly, her hair draping around her face, hoping no one would be able to recognize her. She felt she would be okay with Teuchi and Ayame; they treated her almost as well as Naruto whenever she came. Even if they knew what the two had done, hopefully they would not tease her about it.

"Ohayo Hinata," Ayame called in her friendly voice, "What'll you have?"

"I'll have the pork ramen."

"Great. Would you like that served in a bowl or would you prefer if I poured it all over you?" Ayame questioned in a deceptively sweet tone.

'_Oh Kami… They know __**everything.**__'_

"In a b-bowl please," was the only response the red-faced Hyuuga could squeak out. Hinata never imagined she would actually miss how prone to fainting she had been years ago. It was so much easier than having to just sit there and deal with her embarrassment.

Alright. So not only did everyone know what she and Naruto had done, but they knew all the graphic details too. As Hinata tried to remain inconspicuous during her meal, one thought kept looping in her mind.

'…_Naruto broke his nindo…'_

* * *

Naruto was sitting in the middle of his team's training ground, his back against a tree. As usual, team seven was waiting on their tardy teacher. However, today something was quite different, more specifically, _someone_. Today the Leaf's hyperactive, knuckleheaded ninja was noticeably less… well, hyperactive and knuckleheaded. In fact, the usually cheerful and exuberant blonde seemed downright depressed right now, and his teammates had token notice.

This side of Naruto was a rare sight, even for his closest friends. Though the boy was no stranger to sorrow, he often hid it behind his joyful mask. This time, however, he had abandoned this guise; after all, who cared if he was happy or not?

The village did not care. He was just a weapon; a tool to maintain the balance of power. Had anyone thought of his happiness when they had sealed the kyuubi inside him, robbing a mere child of the right to live a normal life or to decline such a heavy burden? The villagers did not care. Did they consider his happiness when they called him a demon spawn, refused to take his money in their shops, kicked him out of theaters and arcades, and trashed his apartment? His comrades did not care. Had any of his classmates considered his feelings when he was struggling with a jutsu? No, it would have been so easy to offer to help him out, but instead they all laughed at him and rubbed it in his face. Had any of them sympathized with his loneliness when he spent his lunch breaks by himself on the old swing? No, all he wanted was a friend to play with, but everyone just avoided him. Even the two shinobi beside him, who he was supposed to entrust his life to, did not care about him. He was nothing more than a nuisance to Sakura; she only cared about his promise to bring back Sasuke. And Sai… well, he couldn't hold it against Sai, as he had no discernable emotions – still, the whole 'dickless' nickname thing was annoying.

Though the gloomy shinobi might not have though so, the pink-haired kunoichi sitting beside him was looking towards him with sincere concern at seeing her teammate so down for the first time. The ANBU just past her, who was trying to expand his range of emotional expressions, was mirroring this look, much to her ire.

Sakura gave the artist a bonk to the top of his head and yelled, "Cut that out Sai! Stop copying me!"

Rubbing his head, he replied, "My apologies Sakura, I was just trying to learn some new looks so I can react more appropriately to everyday social interactions. Now, was that one concern or are you constipated?"

This innocent, though unfortunate, question earned him another blow. "Concern, you baka! Can't you see that Naruto is obviously upset?!" the short-tempered girl pointed out.

Sai leaned forward to take a close look at his other team member before once again requesting another punch to his sore head. "Ah yes, you are right. I could not see his facial features past your large forehead before." Sai's own forehead immediately grew a few sizes due to the lump Sakura's fist left behind.

'_I thought we were meant to wait for Kakashi-sensei before we began our training,'_ the Root operative thought to himself, feeling as if he had already gone through a day's worth of sparring.

Sakura turned away from one clueless ninja to speak to the other. "Naruto, is everything alright?"

"Of course," Naruto responded distantly, his gaze never wavering from the torn grass being shuffled between his fingers.

Sakura did not buy his meek attempt at covering up. "Come on, you know you can talk to me. I'm just trying to help; maybe I'll be able to understand."

A single weak chuckle escaped Narutos throat. _'Yeah, you'd understand my problem completely.' _"How come you always shot me down when I asked you out?" Naruto asked in his quiet, lifeless tone, shocking Sakura.

"Is that what this is about?" Sakura asked. She began rambling defensively. "I thought you were over that. Look, I already told you it wouldn't wo-"

"It has nothing to do with it," Naruto interrupted, dispelling the medic's assumption. "I'm just curious. What is it about me that makes me undateable?"

Sakura was even more surprised by the words coming out of Naruto's mouth, and rushed to stop these thoughts. "Don't say such things! You know I love Sasuke!"

Another low chuckle. "What about after he left?" Before his teammate got a chance rebut, he cut her off. "I haven't given up on bringing him back, but who knows when that'll be. Even when it happens, there's no guarantee things will be able to go back to the way they used to be. Besides, if he loved you back, wouldn't he have stayed?"

That one hurt. It seemed the whiskered teen's sorrow was as contagious as his cheerfulness, because Sakura was coming close to the verge of tears. She still did not know what it was that was bothering Naruto, but now she was regretting asking.

"His other fangirls have moved on," Naruto resumed after a pause, bringing Sakura back to attention. "Ino has dated a few boys. Are you telling me you've never thought of going out with anyone else?"

"Well… I… I…"

"Did you ever even consider giving me a chance?" the jinchuuriki prodded further, the medic's stammering answering for her.

"What has this got to do with anything? What's up with you today; why are you thinking of these things?" Sakura desperately tried to divert his focus.

Unfortunately, Naruto would not allow her to change the subject, once again having his answer. "Why?" he asked bleakly. "Is it because you didn't want to be seen with a loser like me?"

"Don't say things like that!" Sakura cried out.

"Is it because you don't want everyone to make fun of you?" he prodded further.

"It's not like that!"

"Is it because you don't want to ruin your reputation?"

"That's not it! Just let me–"

"Is it because of what the villagers say about me?" Naruto continued, Sakura trying to deny every word. "Is it because I'm not good enough for you? Is it because I'm a loner?"

"No, no no! That's not it, I swear!"

"Then why!" Naruto raised his voice a bit, along with his head to look back at the girl he was interrogating with piercing eyes. When he saw the girl before him, almost tearing up, he felt a pang of guilt and regretted his line of questioning. Sakura didn't have anything to do with his problem; he shouldn't hurt her trying to find answers. It would not change anything with Hinata anyway.

He looked down again and went back to idly playing with the blades of grass. "Just forget about it. I told you, I'm fine." His female teammate still knew better, but did not wish to try pulling teeth from the Uzumaki to figure out his problems. She would let him be for now.

Just as their conversation ended, their jonin sensei finally arrived. "Hello everyone. Sorry I'm late, I missed breakfast so I went to get ramen, but I spilled it all over myself, so I went home to change my clothes, but I found out apparently foxes must like ramen, because a group of wild foxes noticed me and started chasing me down trying to eat the ramen right off me, so I had to evade them before I could get to my house then make my way here," the scarecrow defended lamely with a sheepish eye-smile. He had to hold in a childish giggle; he had decided to have a little fun with his student after last night's news.

To his disappointment, the blonde provided no reaction to his subtlereferences. The scarecrow opened his visible eye and looked up from his ever-present Icha Icha novel. He was baffled; Naruto appeared far more depressed than a boy who had just lost their virginity should be.

"Naruto, are you feeling ok?" the sensei asked in a confused and cautious tone.

"Yeah, everything's fine." The sharingan wielder could practically feel the sadness in his voice.

"Naruto," Kakashi began, sounding more stern. "Don't try to fool me. I know something's up, and it affects your performance to hold this kind of stuff in. How can we function as a team if we can't trust each other?" the jonin lectured sagely.

Naruto sighed. He was getting really tired of all these nosey people. "It's nothing, I just had a bad night," he said, giving away very little, hoping it would be enough to shut everyone up.

Unfortunately, his choice of words had the opposite effect. Sakura was staring in a look of shock, and Sai was – well, mimicking Sakura's shock, but the kunoichi was not paying enough attention for it to land him another blow to the head. What had Sakura so shocked was not Naruto's statement, but Kakashi's reaction.

He had closed his book.

The jonin had slammed the book shut and discarded it to his pocket, staring at Naruto in confusion and even greater shock. Sakura new something serious must be going on, because her sensei only ever abandoned his lewd novels during intense fights or times of crisis. No exaggeration. He had been reading one during their fights in the chuunin exam, on missions, even at the Third's funeral!

"NANI?" he exclaimed comically. Naruto looked up and quirked a brow, confused by the cyclops' nearly hysterical outburst.

"What? I said I had a shitty night, alright?" he reiterated with a sullen attitude.

Kakashi was unresponsive at this point, completely disbelieving what he was hearing. _'Holy shit… I think Anko was right… But I always thought Sasuke was the gay one… Then again, Naruto hasn't really shown so much interest in girls since returning from his training with Jiraiya-sama, even though the _exposure_ and his raging hormones should've turned him into a complete deviant if anything… And I suppose one _could_ describe his outfit as flamboyant… Not to mention it would explain the effectiveness of his sexy jutsu; he is __**far**__ too good at seducing men…'_

Meanwhile in the world of the living, team seven had risen from their sitting positions, and were all either poking or waving their hands in front of their broken teacher, attempted to get their training underway.

* * *

Early in the morning the next day, the lavender-eyed Hyuuga was silently walking towards the Hokage tower. Her team had been summoned for a mission today, and Hinata had rued having to leave her compound to once again face the knowing eyes awaiting her.

Though it still bothered her, she barely noticed the gossip of the shinobi around her. Her mind was too preoccupied with reflecting on her recent revelation.

It was not Naruto dumping her that surprised her. With all the insecurities and doubts she had harboured for years it was practically expected. No, what surprised the heiress was what he did afterwards. He went back on his word.

Naruto had promised her to keep info about their _meal_ quiet; he had given his word! Not going back on his word was his mantra, the one rule he lived by. And for the first time Hinata could think of, he had broken it. She had always admired his honesty and fortitude. He had **always **kept his promises, even when they conflicted with other ones! Was the nindo he lived by – that she had too adopted – just a lie?

The scorned kunoichi felt something she had never felt towards the boy before – resent, betrayal, **anger**. How dare he! She had admired him for so long, always supported him, and the first time she put her trust in him, he breaks his word!

'_Then again, he __**was**__ taught by Jiraiya-sama privately for two years. It is only natural he pick up some of his perverted tendencies and want to brag...'_

No! The girl mentally scolded herself for making up excuses for him. Despite what Naruto had done, a part of her still could not remain mad at her love, wanting to believe it was not his fault. But she had to fight the innate urge to forgive him! She had the right to be angry!

However, Hinata's rage all but dissipated when she was just around the corner of the Hokage's office. There, none other than the subject of her anger was just departing from her destination.

The first thing Hinata noticed as she caught sight of his face was his downtrodden expression. He wore the biggest frown she had ever seen on his foxy face, and his still red and puffy eyes were an obvious indicator that he had been crying.

The blue-haired ninja wanted nothing more than to ask what was wrong and console her love, but was not sure if he would even want to speak to her. She got her answer after Naruto realized she was there and immediately turned his head away from her. The two awkwardly passed each other without a word.

Hinata had to force herself to remain composed. It hurt deeply being ignored like this by the boy she had admired most of her life. It was even worse than before, when he was just ignorant of her feelings; now he was just downright ignoring her intentionally. No small talk, no friendly greeting, she could not even receive one of his simple heartwarming smiles. He just treated her as if she were some stranger.

Little did Hinata know how much it also pained the jinchuuriki to do this. He could not stand giving her the cold shoulder; he knew he would have to talk to her about this eventually so they he could move on without causing any trouble in future missions. But he just couldn't talk to her. Not now. Not after losing another one of his other most precious people.

* * *

Hinata looked like she felt: like shit.

Her clothes were stained with dirt, her hair was dishevelled, she sported a few bruises, the most visible being on her upper arms, and she walked with her head fixated on the ground and her shoulders sagged. She silently sulked over her brazen display of ineptitude.

Her team had been on a mission for the past five days to track and capture a chuunin-level missing-nin. And throughout the mission, Hinata had proven to be about as useful as a Nara or Akimichi personal trainer.

* * *

**At the Konoha Fitness Gym**

"Are you serious?" Inoichi asked his giant of a teammate.

"I'm sorry, but I gotta go. Why do you have to make a big deal out of this?" Choza asked his pestering friend.

"I'm not! You realize we're not getting any younger; we have to stay in shape if we want to keep the legendary Ino-Shika-Cho formation alive!" the Yamanaka lectured.

"Yeah, trust me, I don't plan to retire any time soon, but I need to get something to eat. You know I'll never be able to keep up with you on an empty stomach."

"But you ate before you left!" Inoichi reminded.

"I guess I worked up an appetite," Choza countered with a shrug.

"But we've only been here ten minutes!"

"Look, I'm heading out for barbeque, I'll make sure to have a longer workout next time." Choza exited the gym. The ponytailed nin merely turned away with a pout.

"Whatever, the way all his muscle is turning to more fat he's going to have to rename his jutsu 'Human Dough-Ball.' At least Shikaku's concerned for his health," Inoichi mumbled.

He approached his beady-eyed comrade, who seemed to be about to start on the benchpress. "Now that's what I'm talking about. Yo, you need a spotter Shikaku? So how much are you lifting? Shikaku? Shikaku?" The only answer he was met with was a loud snore. Inoichi sweatdropped; the Nara was lying on the benchpress dead-asleep.

* * *

**Back with Hinata**

When the lavender-eyed heiress reached her compound, she was met with the presence of her father, who was sitting with a cup of fresh tea. To Hinata's misfortune, he noticed her enter.

"Ah, there you are Hinata. Neji and I arrived back yesterday, where have you been?" Hiashi questioned, taking notice of her dishevelled appearance.

"My team was called for a mission, otou-sama," Hinata answered her father with a respectful bow.

The clan head accepted the answer and returned to his tea, but not before making one more comment. "Alright. I hope your performance was fitting of a Hyuuga."

'_Only if the Hyuuga are a clan that pride themselves in their clumsiness and incompetence…'_ Though the words may not have been meant to be scathing or insulting, Hinata could still feel the sting of shame she always received from her father's words of _encouragement_. The way his emotionless voice always sounded so cold, and that he did not even face or pay any real attention to her when he said them did not help.

Why couldn't she have a father that showed a bit more care? Or perhaps concern at seeing his daughter walking in shambles, covered in bruises? Why couldn't he be like a normal father, and ask if she was ok? Or at least show some more interest.

No, he was just another man in her life that ignored her; another man she was not good enough for.

Hinata released a sigh as she entered her room, and promptly headed to the shower to clean herself. As the water rained upon her body, she mulled over what she knew she had to do.

Her mind was a wreck, she knew this, and even her teammates had to. It was why she could not focus on her mission. The Hyuuga's head was clouded with everything that had happened to her. She had finally won over Naruto, and immediately lost him once more. He had dumped her, lied to her, and completely disregarded her like she was nothing. The only thought the kunoichi was capable of was wondering why; what had she done wrong? Why would Naruto betray her trust? Why would she never be good enough for him?

The way her conscious was running amuck was affecting her performance, and it was clear to everyone who had seen. Kurenai had told her that whatever was bothering her, she had to sort it out. And that was what she was going to do. She was going to confront Naruto for the first time since the incident and get some answers to put her conscious to rest.

Without delay she dried off, dressed, and left the house in search of the blonde.

She scoured the streets of Konoha for any sign of him, but had no luck. After what felt like hours, she spotted a pink mass of hair at a nearby stand. She hurriedly approached the medic kunoichi, hoping she could aid her in her search.

"Yo, Sakura!"

Sakura turned around to see Hinata jog up to her. "Oh hey Hinata. How's it going?"

"Do you know where Naruto is?" Hinata asked, skipping the friendly pleasantries.

"You mean you haven't heard?"

Hinata shook her head. "No, I just returned from a mission. Why, what happened?"

Then, Sakura said the last sentence Hinata had wanted to hear. "He left." Hinata worried for a moment, wondering what exactly Tsunade's apprentice meant, until she clarified. "Naruto was brought to Mount Myoboku to be given sage training. He's going to become the next toad sage," Sakura informed, crushing Hinata's hopes of finding her love.

"What? But I thought Jiraiya-sama was the pervy – I mean toad sage!" the heiress half-shouted in disbelief.

Sakura's face fell to a small frown at her comment. "He… was killed, by the Akutsuki's leader," she said in a sad tone.

'_So that is why Naruto was so sad the last time I saw him.'_ Hinata simply thanked the girl and let her continue whatever she was doing. However, Hinata seemed to have ended up with more new questions than answers in her quest for closure.

Naruto was gone. He had left the village without so much as a goodbye. Who knew how long he would be gone for this time. Hinata imagined sage training could not be quick; he might not return for months, years even! How would she ever get the answers she so desperately sought? It was like the training trip with Jiraiya all over again!

Perhaps it would not have been quite as bad for the kunoichi if the two had not left on such bad terms. When Naruto left the first time, they had at least been friends, and she still had hope for something more. She grew stronger for him, for her hope, and she longingly awaited his return. It made it feel as if a part of him was still in the village, kept alive in her heart. This time, he was just gone. Their one-night stand was over, and possibly even their friendship, she had no hope, no reason to push forward, nothing to wait for. The last thing Naruto had said to her had been a lie, the last message she got from him was that he was dumping her, and the last time she saw him he ignored her.

Hinata had nothing else to do today; all she wanted was to make it back home uninterrupted, where she could just let herself fall apart and drown in her own tears. She tried to keep herself together until she was in her own room, however, fate had a different plan for her.

Only a few minutes away from her home, she heard one of the last people she wanted to see call out to her. "Hinata! Yo! How was your little date with Naruto, huh?" Ino called in a teasing voice as she caught up with Hinata from behind, Tenten by her side.

Not receiving a response, Ino asked again. "Come on, don't even try hiding it from me! He got those flowers from my shop you know!"

Oh, the irony. Somehow her friend, the gossip queen of the leaf village, was one of the few not in-the-know about her and Naruto's date.

Hinata tried to keep herself composed. She really did. But in the end, she turned to a ball of mush, quietly crying on the mindwalker's shoulder and uncontrollably revealing everything that had happened between the short-lived couple.

While Hinata progressively broke down in front of her friends more and more, the three made their way to Ino's house to get some more privacy and comfort food.

"So what you're saying is that he dined and dashed?" Ino remarked inappropriately.

Tenten gave the blonde a punch in the shoulder as the Hyuuga's sobbing grew louder. "Don't make jokes about this; it's not funny!"

"Ok, ok, sorry," Ino placated. The two continued comforting the hurt heiress as she cried and choked down a tub of ice cream.

* * *

**A/N: Well, there you have it. Quite depressing, but it's always darkest before the dawn of the dead. This chap had hurt, tears, ice cream, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio (1****st**** gen), Anko being her usual unexpected (&amp; unwanted) self, Kyuubi, Kakashi questioning Naruto's sexuality, some Sakura &amp; Sai slapstick, Ayame getting a bit catty, a bad metaphor I slipped in trying attempting to be artsy that even I wouldn't notice, and Hiashi as we all know and hate him. What more could you want? Oh, a happy ending you say? Well, this is NOT the ending, nowhere close, so I will do as I please… **

…**But I really want some more happiness too. :'( **

**Also, I plan on adding a little Omake before the next full chapter. It's not gonna be as long or good as The NaruHina Pool (or nearly as relevant to the story), but I got a stupid idea that didn't really fit right in the chapter. Hopefully it'll still give you a laugh, and a much-needed break from this depressingfulness, so look forward to that!**

**FOLLOW/FAVE/REVIEW/I GOTTA DO A BUNCH OF SHIT, WHY DO I PROCRASTINATE SO! **


	15. Omake 2: The Depraved and the Ignorant

**A/N: Hey, here's the second omake of the series! Technically, it's more like two, since I had two really short ideas and decided to combine them. It still turned out really short, but I couldn't get the little snippets outta my head, and they didn't really fit well in the main story. Hey, it means you get a faster upload, and something a little lighter for now. I'm getting busy with school shit, so it takes a lot longer to write. This may not be a laugh riot, but I hope it earns a few chuckles and is worth adding to the Take a Hint timeline. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto spinoff, Naruto SD (aka: Rock Lee and his Ninja Pals), the omakes of the true narutoverse. **

"Speech"

'_Thought'_

'_**Kyuubi Thought'**_**/"Kyuubi Speech in Mindscape"**

* * *

**Those Who Inherit the Will of Icha Icha **(OST reference! :3)

"What is it now baa-chan?" Naruto asked the Hokage as he entered her office. The jinchuuriki was leaving the next day to begin training his sage training, so that meant Tsunade could not be sending him on a mission, which left the boy wondering what she had summoned him for.

"It's about Jiraiya," Tsunade said, ignoring the blonde's usual offensive greeting.

"What about him?" Naruto said, sounding a bit down. "I already told you I'm gonna be fine," the shinobi reminded. Sure, the first couple days after hearing the news had been very rough for him, but after that he started to learn to deal with the death of his teacher and move on.

"I know, it's not that," the sanin stated.

"Then what is this about?" an upset Naruto questioned, demanding to know why Tsunade would would call for him just to bring up his dead sensei.

"It's about his inheritance." The orange-clad genin raised a curious brow, wondering what this had to do with him. Tsunade continued to clarify. "You see, unfortunately Jiraiya has no living relatives left." This earned a sympathetic look from his apprentice, who knew the pain of being without family all too well. "And the old perv never picked up a pen to write anything but his porn," Tsunade said with a sad smile from the joke, which Naruto mirrored, "so he never made up a will. Usually in situations like this, the deceased's estate goes to the village council, but as Hokage, I decided to make this case an exception."

This was quite unexpected for Naruto. Was this going where he thought it was?

"Between his ninja work and the success of his Icha Icha series, he made quite a bit of money. He never had a taste for the rich life, and given that he was constantly travelling he never spent his money on a big house or anything fancy like that. That said, he left a lot of dough behind. Even I was surprised when I read the figures."

"If ero sennin was so loaded, how come he would always swipe my wallet when we travelled together! How come he couldn't spend his own money!" Naruto asked.

"Because he specialized in infiltration and reconnaissance missions, and walking around with that kind of money can draw unwanted attention," Tsunade explained.

Naruto opened his mouth to speak again, but could not argue with that logic. He turned to the side with a pout and crossed arms, mumbling, "Still, he could've at least brought **enough**, like me."

"Kid, you have no idea how expensive a good hooker can be."

Again, sound logic. Naruto couldn't count on his hands the number of brothel's Jiraiya would stop at on each of their trips. Hell, sometimes he wouldn't even bother getting himself a hotel room, and would just return from the brothel in the morning to get the irritated Uzumaki.

"Anyway," Tsunade interrupted Naruto's memories, getting back on topic, "as I was saying, he left behind quite a bit of cash, so much that you would be able to conveniently resolve any financial problem you may ever have. Naruto, since you were his last apprentice, and though he may not have wanted to admit it, practically a son to him, I'm sure he would want you to ha –"

"Um, Hokage-sama?" Kotetsu cut in nervously, peeking from behind the large double doors of Tsunade's office.

A vein pulsed on the sanin's forehead. "What is it?" she shouted to her guard, not pleased about being interrupted.

"Uh, well, there's someone here who wants to see – oomph!" Before the chuunin finished his sentence, he was unceremoniously shoved and crashed into the door by a stout, middle-aged woman. As he crashed to the wall, the civilian stomped into the room with a boy no more than a few years older than Naruto in tow.

"What's the meaning of this?" Tsunade shot at the unwelcome guest.

"So is it true that the horny old toad has finally kicked the bucket?"

The Senju grit her teeth at the lack of respect or care this unknown intruder showed for her deceased teammate. The audacity of the woman! "If by 'horny old toad' you mean Jiraiya, then yes, he's recently been announced KIA. Now tell me why this concerns you and why I shouldn't have you forcefully removed from my office now." The threatening edge to her voice promised a **very** forceful removal if the civilian could not provide a sufficient response.

This was not missed, but the woman stood her ground with an indignant 'hmph' and spoke. "This concerns me completely; I traveled all the way from Wind country to get what is rightfully mine!"

"And that would be?"

"The slimy bastard's inheritance of course!"

Tsunade just grit her teeth harder at the new disrespectful name. "And just why in hell do you think you're entitled to anything of his?" the Hokage asked angrily with just a hint of curiosity.

Another 'hmph' escaped the short civilian's mouth as she crossed her arms. "Well, I guess it's not me he owes, so much as his son." The woman extended an arm toward the young man she had entered with.

"SON?!" both Naruto and Tsunade shouted hysterically in response. Tsunade was the first to compose herself, though the surprise and confusion was still noticeable in her voice.

"But… Jiraiya never said he had any children. Why did nobody know about this?"

The woman seemed to anger more, putting her hands on her hips before saying, "Because I could never track down the bastard to tell him!"

Naruto and Tsunade took a close look at the supposed love child of the late toad sage. Aside from the features obviously inherited from his mother, the boy, who had yet to speak, held an uncanny resemblance to the legendary shinobi. Despite his mother's shorter stature, he had inherited Jiraiya's height and broad shoulders. He had the same spiky hair, though it matched his mother's brown and only came down to his shoulders. He even had the same wart on his nose.

Tsunade looked back to the woman and her curious eye hardened back into disgust at the woman who was just using her son's lineage to profit off her friend's death. Reluctantly, she began, "Well, seeing as this young boy would be Jiraiya's only living heir, I suppose the legal rights to his inheritance would have to go to –"

"Stop right there!" another woman cried over Kotetsu's yelp of pain after the lady stepped over him to enter the office. This woman was considerably younger than the last, with a long, black ponytail and a rather revealing red kimono. Latched onto her arm was a boy of no more than twelve, with long white hair, tan skin and familiar facial feautures.

"Don't give this whore a single ryo!" she yelled.

"Who the hell do you think you are!" the first woman retorted.

"The rightful inheritor of the lecher's fortune!" She raised her arm, dragging her boy into the air with it. "And this is his other son!"

The two began a heated fight, forgetting they were in the presence of the Hokage.

"He knocked me up first! The money is mine!"

"I had to take up a second job to feed his gaki! I deserve the cash!"

"You're both wrong!" a new arrival called, dragging along yet another boy with the features of Naruto's late sensei. Soon, the whole room was filled with what seemed like representatives of every elemental nation's red light districts and their illegitimate children. All the women were arguing vehemently with the others, fighting for their (child's) right to the sanin's inheritance, while the kids all backed away in fear.

"It should be mine; I have to take care of his **triplets**!"

"He'd want me to have it! He promised me riches!"

"He told me he loved me!"

"He said he wanted to get married!"

"He told me he'd protect me!"

"He said he'd write a book about me!"

"He said he'd make me a sage!"

As all this bickering was going on, Tsunade's blood started boiling. Hitting her limit, the medic used her legendary strength to smash her desk in half, earning the attention of the room. All the women froze and stared at the imposing kunoichi.

With a sigh, Tsunade spoke to the crowd. "Look, since all these youngster's are Jiraiya's children, they all have an equal right to his inheritance. Therefore, his estate must be divided evenly amongst all of you."

Many of the single mothers grumbled, not completely satisfied with this outcome, but accepted it grudgingly. As much as the Senju did not appreciate the lack of respect these women were showing for her teammate, they had a legal right to the money. Besides, she could not blame them; if Jiraiya were still alive she would have personally ensured he would not be having any more kids.

However, a skeptical Naruto spoke up. "You're just gonna give it to them like that Baa-chan? Shouldn't we check to make sure they're not lyin first?"

"Oh, they're his kids all right," Tsunade responded in annoyance.

"How do you know?"

"Because none of them have looked away from my chest since they came in."

The Uzumaki sweat-dropped, looking back at the horde of drooling Jiraiya look-alikes, all staring at Tsunade's bust. Well, except for the one girl, who gave Naruto a wink when their eyes met.

The jinchuuriki barely made it out of the office before he failed to contain his puke.

"…Wha? Shit, no, no! Ugggghhhhhh!" a thoroughly trampled Kotetsu cried as he was doused in half-digested ramen. This was not his day.

* * *

**Hyuuga Parenting**

"Awwww, no fair!" Hanabi groaned.

The main branch Hyuuga was in her father's office, currently being punished for lying to him and sleeping over at a boy's house. As Hiashi calmly took a sip of his tea, Hanabi was wondering how her father always knew when she had done something wrong.

"This is for your own good, Hanabi," Hiashi lectured coolly. "You are far too young to be sleeping at a boy's place."

"But Konohamaru-kun's really nice! He would never do anything to me!" Hanabi whined.

"I don't care. No matter how nice a boy may seem, that does not mean he will not try to take advantage of you. Remember that."

"What are you even talking about!" Hanabi was frustrated with being in the dark. "Why does everyone keep telling me I'm too young to be doing _things_ with boys? What can we possibly do that would be so bad!"

Hiashi tried to avoid the subject. "Just forget about it and listen to me next time. It will not change your punishment."

The young Hyuuga was not going to accept that answer. "Just tell me! How can I avoid doing anything inappropriate if I don't even know what I'm not supposed to be doing!"

Hiashi racked his mind for a way to appease his daughter for now. The clan head gave his daughter a questioning glance. "Do you know what heterosexual copulation is?"

"Heteo… Hantaro… Wha?"

"Good," Hiashi replied deadpan.

"But –"

"No buts!" Hiashi cut her off. "If you really wish to know, find out on your own time. For now, get to the chores I assigned you."

With a reluctant grumble, Hanabi set off to complete the first day of her punishment.

* * *

**Two Days Later**

"Tou-san!" Hanabi called at her father. Hiashi, who was studying a scroll, sighed. He was hoping Hanabi would have left him alone about the inevitable conversation for longer.

"Have you finished your chores, Hanabi?"

"Yes, father," Hanabi responded respectfully.

"Then what do you wish to ask me," Hiashi questions, knowing the answer.

Then, the frustrated glint in her eye from the other day returned. "I asked everyone, and no one knows what hinero-sentinel calibration is! Just tell me what the big deal is already about me being with boys!"

Hiashi put his strategic Hyuuga mind back to work. He had to find a way out of this; he knew life would be hell with a whiney Hanabi on his case. While his daughter normally kept her Hyuuga composure in front of him, she acted like an even younger kid than she was when she was upset.

He had to come up with something to get his daughter to stop questioning him. He definitely could not give her the talk, not with how that worked out for his first daughter. One sex-crazed teenage kunoichi was bad enough!

"Do you remember how Hinata was when you came home?"

"Huh?" Hanabi said intelligently. "Stop trying to change the subject! What does that have to do wi – "

"Do you remember how upset your sister was?" Hiashi interrupted her.

"Hanabi growled a bit in annoyance, but responded. "Yeah, she was a wreck! She was crying so much, she looked horrible!"

"Do you know why Hinata was so depressed?"

Hanabi thought about it. She had no idea what it was; the times she had tried talking to Hinata her words were far from comprehensible. All she could tell was that it probably had something to do with Naruto. "No."

"Hinata and Naruto decided to do some of these inappropriate things while we were gone."

"No way!" Hanabi used her scrutinizing byakugan eyes to search her father for any trace of a lie, but he showed none. _'But why would she be so devastated?'_

"Yes. And now, Naruto has left Hinata behind and gone away." The Hyuuga leader faked a sigh. "If you really still want to know how to ruin your life and lose Konohamaru forever, I will tell you, but do not say I didn't warn –"

"No no no! That's fine, I don't wanna know!" And with that, Hanabi ran off, with a heavy blush over her fearful expression, no longer wanting to know what kind of terrible act her father was not telling her about.

Hiashi smirked. _'She'll find out eventually… When she gets married.'_ The byakugan wielder then returned to his scroll on summoning, trying to find a way to transport himself to Mount Myoboku to turn the future toad sage into the toad eunuch for hurting his daughter.

* * *

**A/N: Welp… That was an omake. I know it can't lve up to the NaruHina pool, but I don't I'll ever have an omake as awesome as that. That one also tied into the plot a little bit, became a recurring reference and actually became a big part of the plot later on. This one is completely insignificant plot wise. Just a couple little gags I wanted to get outta my system. If I got a few laughs, it was worth it. If I didn't… I'll cry and end the series here! (jk, JK! DON'T DO IT, MISTABIGGLES, NOOOOO!)**

**FOLLOW/FAVE/REVIEW/APPLY PRESSURE TO THE WOUND**


	16. Chapter 13: 50 Shades of Orange

**A/N: Back! With the continuation of Take a Hint! I know a lot of you were not so overjoyed about the last couple chapters, but don't worry, this one ended up containing more comedy than hurt, most thanks to kyuubi! He's one of my favourite characters to write for, I just love seeing the great kyuubi no kitsune, most powerful of all demons, reduced to annoying a teenager with gay jokes. Never gets old! It was quite a trying one to write, because it turned ot pretty long, hope you appreciate it!**

**Also, random question, but one reviewer made a remark about my use of real-world references. Now, I scarcely use them, as I am not a huge fan of them either, but I find them okay once in a while, and I try to write them in a way where they sorta fit, as if they are just assumed parallels between are universes. He mentioned the prologue's Katrina reference, which I admit is sorta outta place, but it's not like one of the characters is saying/thinking it, its more a description just there for the reader. Do these types of references set any of you readers off, or was it just him? I'm interesting in knowing so I know what you guys find tacky/unappealing, so a quick mention in your review would be appreciated! **

**Now, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Own Naruto not do I**

"Speech"

'_Thoughts'_

'_**Kyuubi Thoughts'**_/**"Kyuubi Speech in Mindscape"**

_Book_

* * *

Sunset at Mount Myoboku is truly a beautiful sight. The horizon looks tiny behind the gigantic scenery as the sun slowly descends. The already brightly coloured landscape is washed with soul warming hues of oranges and purples until the sunlight fades completely, giving way to the luminosity of the massive fireflies, whose majestic dances can be seen for miles in the darkness.

Naruto was currently marvelling at the breathtaking view very few humans would ever have the honour of seeing from atop a huge, inedible toadstool. The blonde learned this fact about the Myobokan mushrooms in a moment of desperation after a week of eating nothing but giant bugs. The subsequent psychological trip he experienced was anything but fun. The toad elders seemed to find much humour in the future sage's panic, much to his chagrin. In Naruto's defense, it is really hard to tell what is real and what is just an illusion when you are already in a strange land of fantasy.

Naruto continued lying on the fungus, resting from a day of hard training, until an overwhelming buzzing noise became audible.

'_Damn mosquitos'_ the orange clad shinobi cursed, hastily getting up and dashing away. The last thing Naruto wanted was to encounter more of those six-legged vampires. He was not very fond of needles to begin with, never mind ten-inch long ones which could suck out enough blood to knock him out for days.

It did not take long for the knuckleheaded shinobi to reach his temporary home. He walked through the door of his sensei's small house under the hill. He stepped lightly towards the guest room, being quiet so as not to wake his elderly hosts.

Naruto bent down and turned on his bedside lamp as he laid himself on his bed. His weariness could be heard in his sigh. While leaving the village was much easier for him this time, his troubled conscious still weighed heavy on him. In fact, the ease with which he departed his home concerned him too. With all that had happened, he had actually been eager to leave; he really needed the break. The first time was different. When the boy left to train with his former sensei, it had been hard to just abandon everything he had cared about. Having started with nothing, giving everything he had to create the bonds he made, it scared him to leave. He feared that others might not wait for him, might forget about him. He feared that he would have nothing to come back to by the time he returned.

This time it was all too easy for Naruto. He supposed it was just because he had less to lose. First he received the news of Jiraiya's death. The man Naruto regarded as a father figure, who had helped him and taught him more than any of his other sensei's ever did, had completely disappeared forever, his last words to Naruto a coded message to help him defeat an enemy. And then there was Hinata… The first girl he loved. The first girl he dated. The girl he gave his virginity too. So many firsts, and all in the span of less than a day. Sometimes Naruto actually regretted leaving her. Sometimes he would find himself considering staying with her, being her dirty little secret, or guilty pleasure or whatever she considered him, and enjoying whatever kind of relationship he could get until the day came for her to move on and choose an acceptable husband. Then his reasoning kicked back in and he pushed the idea aside.

'_I'll get over her,'_ he said to himself, _'I'll find someone better, someone who accepts me,' _he would continue to reassure, his words losing conviction with each repetition. He just wanted to forget everything that had happened, all the pain he had experienced, and go back to a simpler time. Back when he was just coming out of the academy, when he was finally starting to find some happiness in the world. The teen wished things could just go back to the way they used to be again.

* * *

**Outside a Village on the Border of the Land of Waves**

Sasuke was furiously digging into his brow with his right hand, a scowl on his face. They were at it again. The other members of the newly formed team Hebi were constantly at ends with each other, and today was no exception. Sasuke, Karin and Suigetsu were currently waiting on the trail for the absent Juugo so they could leave.

The avenger was desperately trying to tune out the other shinobis' headache-style jutsu, that is, until Karin took notice of his obvious disgruntlement.

"What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?" Karin asked in concern, forgetting her argument with the Kiri nin. "You seem so stressed out! Here, let me help you relax with a nice, _thorough_ massage," she purred out with a perverse chuckle, rubbing her hands together in a scheming fashion.

"Jeez, are you sure you're trying to relax him, or get him excited?" Suigetsu remarked, wiggling his eyebrows at the insinuation.

"Shut up!" Karin yelled as she delivered a devastating blow, causing Suigetsu to melt into water.

"Woah, someone's testy today." The sarcastic shinobi reformed his body in a matter of seconds to resume his teasing. "I don't get what you're so mad about. Ya know, the guy's got the fucking sharingan; I think he's noticed that you've been trying to get into pants since we met up." The shark-toothed teen snickered at his red-headed teammate.

"Just shut up baka!" Karin once again snapped at him.

"Kay, whatever. I'll never get what it is you like about that teme so much, though."

Karin was seething at this comment. "Oh really? And who are you to talk! What makes you so much better than Sasuke-kun?"

Suigetsu crossed his arms and smirked before answering. "Simple, once we find Zabuza-senpai's blade, I'm going to become the newest legendary swordsman of the mist!" he proclaimed, pointing his thumb to his chest.

"Hah!" Karin laughed, "Yeah right! You can carry around that big pointy overcompensation all you want, but there's no way in hell you could ever be on the same level as the other legendary swordsmen!"

Suigetsu growled. "I'm gonna be the greatest swordsman the Mist's ever seen! You better believe it!"

To Sasuke's salvation, Juugo finally arrived. "Well look who decided to show up," the Kiri shinobi greeted.

"You're late," Sasuke admonished in his cold voice.

"Sorry, I suppose I got sidetracked on the road of life," Juugo explained sheepishly.

"Whatever, let's hurry up and get movin'!" Suigetsu called out, confidently striding forward. The shinobi behind him did not take a step.

"You're going the wrong way, baka!" Karin shouted to him. Suigetsu stopped to turn around and rub his head in embarrassment.

"Oops, hehe. My bad. Let's go!"

Sasuke brought his palm to his face fast hard enough to leave a mark. _'I've made a terrible mistake,' _he rued regretfully before heading out with his new, yet far too familiar team.

* * *

**Back With Naruto**

Naruto sighed once more. Abandoning his reminiscing, the boy pulled a book out of his bag and held it up in the light of the lamp.

With the death of the pervy sage looming over his head, Naruto had begun to actually read some of the sage's writing. It made him feel closer to his late father-figure, and helped the blonde accept his passing on. He had already gone through Tales of a Gutsy Ninja in his first week at Myoboku. The Uzumaki was captivated by the epic tale of Jiraiya's only non-pornographic novel, and was surprised to find that the main character shared his first name.

Naruto silently stared in disbelief of what he was about to do. In his hands he held not Tales of a Gutsy Ninja, but instead Icha Icha Bloodlines. With the other book finished, this was the only other book Naruto had by Jiraiya at the moment. He still had no interest in his sensei's perverted series, but he was desperate to feel any connection to the man he affectionately called ero-sennin.

The Sanin had always given Naruto a copy of his latest books as a little gift, despite the fact the jinchuuriki never read any of them. This one was given to him less than a week before Jiraiya's defeat – an advanced copy, the novel had yet to hit stores. Naruto mentally braced himself, finally about to find out what all the fuss was about with the provocative series.

When the knucklehead opened the book, he was astonished with what he saw in the first chapter to say the least.

There was plot. An actual, fully-clothed, interesting, penetration-free plot. Go figure.

* * *

_**Prologue**_

_Far off, in the mountains to the east, lied a kingdom of great wealth and power. For a hundred years, this kingdom and all its inhabitants prospered. Their army was second to none, and they quickly conquered every opponent they faced, expanding their empire to the land's border and beyond. _

_However, the people of this kingdom became greedy. They threw their morality aside, relieving those lower than them of everything they could take, asserting their reign over the other conquered villages through unnecessary violence and destruction, and constantly engaging in depraved, carnal acts to satisfy their gluttonous desires. _

_For their sins, the wrath of a demon was one night set upon them. Houses burned, livestock died, produce withered, and all those who attempted to defy the malevolent spirit were cut down mercilessly. No warrior could defeat it, and no priest could exercise it. _

_Desperate to rid themselves of this curse, the Daimyo himself approached the demon to make a deal. The demon agreed to cease destroying this land only if he was brought a sacrifice, which had to be a newborn._

_The Daimyo had his guards search the village, swiftly returning with a child they found, whose parents had already perished by the spirit's hand. They offered the baby boy to the demon, but to their great surprise and confusion, the demon did not slaughter it or steal its soul as expected. Instead, the demon appeared to seal itself inside of the boy, making the child its new host. _

_That was how, mere hours after his birth, the life of the boy named Menma was given a fate of great significance, whether for good or for evil was yet to be decided._

* * *

Naruto was hooked on the book right from the beginning. The story drew him in, leaving him speechless and wondering how his teacher's smut could be so awesome. But still, something about the main character seemed awfully familiar…

Then it clicked. _'Hey, ero-sennin wrote me into his book!'_ There were too many similarities to dismiss; the opening events paralleled the Kyuubi's attack and sealing, even if the details were changed up a bit. Naruto was not sure whether to be flattered or angry that the ero-sennin had put him into his erotic novel.

'_Figures, ero-sennin was really unimaginative for an author. Didn't he ever come up with his own characters?'_

'_**Just shut up and keep reading kit. You might actually enjoy it.'**_

'_I wasn't asking you! The last thing I want is to read about myself doing Kami-knows-what with every character in this book! Who knows what he wrote me doing in here…' _Naruto told off his prisoner, a tiny bit of curiosity secretly rising in the teen.

'_**Whatever, I bet if the old pervert wrote yaoi you would probably be halfway through the book by now.'**_

'_For the last fucking time – __**I AM NOT GAY**__! And you're in this book too you know!'_ the irritated demon container pointed out.

'_**Yeah, and I want to know if I get a happy ending where I am free of you and eat the entire village! Maybe I'll even get a sex scene…'**_

'_Does you fucking my life count?'_

'_**What happened to "I'm not gay"?'**_

'_I said _my life_, _**my life**_!' _Naruto defended adamantly.

The kyuubi snorted. _**'As far as I'm concerned, your life is already my bitch since it does nothing but whine like one.'**_

'_Uh, I think you mean me, cause how can my life whine?' _the knucklehead corrected the nonsensical comment.

'_**Glad you finally admit you're a whiney bitch,'**_ the fox retorted without missing a beat. When the demon was met with a low growling as his only response, he continued the entertaining conversation himself.

'_**I guess this makes it the second book the pervy sage wrote with you in it,' **_he mused, referring to the character in Tales of a Gutsy Ninja by the same name. _**'Hmm… I wonder if the toad sage ever did any of his **_**research**_** on you…'**_

Naruto felt like he could vomit. Considering he had been eating giant insects exclusively for a week, that was really saying something. _'Don't even make me __**think **__of that, asshole! Gack!'_

'_**If you think about it, did the perv **_**really**_** need to bring you along with him to the hot springs every time he did his **_**research?**_**'**_

'_Shut up kyuubi, he did __**not**__ do research on me!' _Naruto mentally screamed at his tenant.

Despite his container's wishes, the nine tailed fox continued. _**'I mean, it's not like he dragged you to every brothel and strip club he went to also. You were never of any help to him anyway. The old man could have spied on the girls by himself, but then, the view would not be complete without your wet, developing body…'**_ the demon trailed off suggestively.

'_No, no, no, __**NO**__! Ero-sennin did __**not**__ bring me with him just to get me naked! Everyone knows Orochimaru is the gay Sanin!'_ the blonde defended.

'_**True, true. Just get on with the story kit,'**_ Kurama conceded.

Reluctantly, Naruto flipped the page, continuing with the novel. _'Might as well see who pervy sage paired me with,'_ he figured.

* * *

_**Chapter 1**_

_After the disappearance of the demon, the kingdom began recovering and rebuilding what was lost. The council of the kingdom, baffled by the demon's mysterious deal, did not know what to make of the boy hosting it. Afraid that someone could find a way to unleash the power of the spirit again, or harness it for their own use, the Daimyo swore all witnesses of the sacrifice to secrecy so the boy's identity would remain unknown to enemies. _

_However, this did not benefit Menma in any way as he grew up. Many people in the village still knew of his cursed role, and spited the boy for the demon he carried within himself. He was outcast by the populace, taken care of in a private room in the hospital until he was old enough to fend for himself. At that point, he was given an abandoned shack near the outskirts of town to live in. No family would dare take him in, lest they be tainted by the spirit the child hosted._

_Though he lived in poverty, he did not desire riches. His only desire was for the respect of the others who had all shunned him. He planned to achieve this by becoming a great warrior of the empire. As soon as he was of age to begin training as a soldier, he applied to join the ranks of the royal army. _

_Many opposed this, calling it insanity to allow the demon to become a soldier. They feared the demon would possess the boy and betray them. However, their army had been weakened considerably during the attack years ago, and had remained so, very slowly building towards its former glory. Since new fighters were a necessity, the Daimyo decided to allow Menma to be trained, the optimists thinking the demon may make the child more powerful._

_The boy was taken to the inner section of the kingdom where all aspiring warriors were trained by kenjutsu masters. This was how Tsuki discovered Menma for the first time._

_Tsuki Kurayami was none other than the Daimyo's first born daughter, heir apparent to the entire kingdom. However, many doubted she would ever inherit the throne, as her chronic shyness and innate kindness was interpreted by her father as weakness, making her seem unfit to rule. The Daimyo did not hide the fact that he favoured her younger sister, and most members of the council believed he would one day name her his official successor. _

_The neglect and disappointment Tsuki's father held for her discouraged her greatly, and she would take any chance she received to leave her home. She often found herself wandering the courtyards or the fields, her love of nature compelling her there. Today, she happened to pass by a field which was currently dedicated to the training of fresh military recruits. The midnight-blue haired princess' lavender eyes dwelled on the trainees as she casually passed by. Though the gentle girl shied away from violence, she had always been captivated by the art of swordsmanship. Not so much the fighting, but the actual technique and form that went into it. The heiress found it graceful how the swordsmen would parry and block their opponent's strike with unhesitant precision, fluently cutting the air with their blades and weaving the weapon into the gap in their enemy's guard. She also admired kenjutsu because it required all the attributes she did not possess: strength, confidence, discipline, courage. _

_Tsuki almost stopped in her tracks as she noticed something out of the ordinary. In the next field over, she spotted a single student her age under the tutelage of his sensei. This went against normal procedure for military training; new recruits were always trained in groups for the purpose of having sparring partners and training as many soldiers as possible with the limited amount of teachers. As she gazed upon this lone, golden-haired man, she wondered what was so special about his case. So with rapt attention she watched as Menma began his training._

* * *

'_Hm… She's royalty, shy, gentle, shunned by her family, blue hair, lavender eyes…' _Naruto listed off in his head, not taking too long to figure out the identity of the inspiration for the character which would obviously be paired with his. He let out a dissatisfied groan. _'Of course he would pair me with Hinata,'_ the shinobi cursed, not wanting to open the emotional wound he was trying to ignore.

'_**Well like you said, he was rather unimaginative. Guess he had to go with a real couple for the book. '**_

While Naruto did not disagree with the nine tails' logic, something did not make sense in the Uzumaki's mind. _'Wait… But our date was after he gave me the book; there's no way he could've known we would get together that early beforehand, it must just be a coincidence,' _the blonde surmised.

'_**Or perhaps he knew something you don't,'**_ the kyuubi challenged, confusing the jinchuuriki.

'_Huh? Like what?'_

'_**Why don't you just read and find out,'**_ was the fox's only response. Naruto did exactly that and read on, his curiosity piqued by the demon's ominous words.

* * *

_The young Kurayami quickly, though incorrectly, deduced Menma had been separated from the rest of the group due to his ineptitude, not knowing of his poor reputation. Just a few minutes of witnessing the blonde stumbling through his routine led Tsuki to believe he would only hold the others back. She shook her head as the boy was knocked to the ground by his instructor with ease. She sighed; he was not going to last a week._

_Right as the princess lifted her foot to resume her walk, something unexpected happened. She looked back to the scene before her in mild shock as the student got back up. He had obvious difficulty, and his heaving breaths were clear from where she was standing, but the boy still regained his balance and raised his wooden practice sword to fight on. This boy was beginning to catch Tsuki's interest._

_The lavender-eyed girl inconspicuously watched the rest of the training session. The blonde's sensei continued to deliver blow after blow throughout the spar, adorning his student's skin with bruises and cuts. Despite this harsh beating, Menma never yielded to his clear superior. He would continue to get up and challenge his foe._

_Tsuki found herself passing this field on her walks more and more frequently, each instance stopping by the trees to watch the boy who refused to give in. He was by far one of the worst swordsmen she had ever laid eyes on, but she could not help but admire the amateur's persistence. He had all the courage and willpower she had always lacked. And, to her surprise, slowly but surely, his kenjutsu skills were improving._

_As she began following this blonde enigma more, even sneaking peeks when she could outside of his training, she saw the way he was treated by the others. Being of noble blood, the princess led a sheltered life, rarely leaving the inner portion of the kingdom, where the higher class resided. Therefore, she did not know anything about Menma, however most of the other soldiers-in-training seemed to, as they would all gang up on him, constantly bullying and berating him. It was not uncommon for some of the more hotheaded jerks to get a little violent, aching to start a fight. Yet somehow, the strange boy would never stick up for himself, instead just taking it all. This seemed very uncharacteristic of him from what Tsuki had seen previously. She figured all that confidence and persistence was just a ruse; at the end of day he was just as weak and cowardly as everyone else thought. Perhaps he was not so special after all._

_This theory was completely blown away one sunny Wednesday afternoon. Tsuki had left her home for another walk, and could not help but approach Menma's training field once again. As she spied from behind a tree, she failed to notice anyone approaching her from behind. _

"_Well, what have we got here," said a masculine voice from behind Tsuki as a pair of rough hands grabbed her shoulders. _

_The heiress 'eeped' and turned around, startled. To her embarrassment a small group of soldiers in training had snuck up behind her. _

"_We weren't expecting to find something like this on our lunch break, were we fellas?" the front man asked to the others, who merely replied with dark snickers. The way they were all staring at her made Tsuki nervous. "Looks far more delicious than what I was planning on having, though." The man said with a glint in his eye. He leaned in and took a whiff of the princess' hair. "Mmm…" he mumbled hungrily._

_That was when the blue-haired girl realized what was happening. "P-please leave me alone!" she tried to say firmly, though it came out as a scared squeak. She pushed against the man who had a grip on her shoulders, only for her wrists to be grabbed by the muscular man beside him. _

"_Now, now, is that any way to treat your village's future protectors?" the subdued girl's assailant asked teasingly. The heiress struggled, but to no avail. All she could do was screw her eyes shut and begin to tear up as the rest of the boys converged on her._

_Then, a shout sounded from behind her. "She said her leave her alone," the voice said angrily and threateningly. Behind her stood the boy she had been watching, his arms crossed defiantly with a scowl on his face. He must have noticed the commotion and come to aid her._

_The others just laughed. "Oh yeah, and what are you gonna do if we don't?" one of the men asked mockingly._

"_If you won't leave her alone then I'll make you!" _

_More laughs came, but it died down after Menma drew his wooden practice sword. "So you're serious," the closest assaulter said somewhat disbelievingly. "Well then," the two holding Tsuki let go and shoved her to the side, where she unceremoniously hit the ground, "let's go."_

_The boys took up a fighting stance, and began the most one sided fight the princess had ever witnessed. Though her rescuer fought with all his might, he was up against at least eight opponents, all unrestrainedly wailing on him. Despite all the blows he took, he never gave up, and his freakish stamina and toughness even allowed him to knock out one or two of the attackers._

_During the fight, confusion dominated Tsuki. Here was the boy who had done nothing but take other peoples' shit without lifting a finger, finally fighting back, not for himself, but for her. She was a complete stranger to him, yet he stood up for her with a fervor he had never demonstrated for his own sake. Somehow, it warned the princess' heart to have someone defend her, to have __**him **__defend her._

_As she continued watching from the ground, she was amazed by the boy's determination. The teen was a juggernaut, taking dozens of direct hits yet barely losing momentum. He never faltered, never surrendered, giving everything he had. He did not so much as show a hint of fear to the brutes. The boy's unbending confidence compelled Tsuki to believe in him, fooling her into wanting to think he could come away from this victorious. That was when the helpless girl realized what it was about him that fascinated her so. _

_He gave her hope._

_Unfortunately, this illusion of hope had to come crashing down eventually, and even the boy, with his massive supplies of energy, had to give out sooner or later. He was on the ropes, his clumsy strikes now lacking the speed that compensated for his lack of prowess, failing to land a hit. The others could see they were wearing him out, and the remaining boys sent an onslaught of attacks towards Menma. _

_Fortunately, just before things went completely south for him, his sensei stepped in, seemingly from out of nowhere. "What's going on here?" he asked sternly. The boy's sensei was a tall man with broad shoulders and a long, glorious mane of spiky white locks. He was incredibly well built, and despite his age, he did not seem a day over thirty. _

_The assailants paused their beating for a moment to respond. "We were just having a little sparring match, sir," one of them responded with a smug grin._

"_Eight against one? That hardly seems fair," the sensei observed with a glare._

"_Yeah, well you know this dobe needs all the help he can get," another justified. The sensei seemed disgusted by their act, obviously seeing through their lies. He then glanced to the fallen Tsuki, before looking back at her attackers. _

"_I hope you were not harassing this girl. You do know who she is, right? This is Tsuki-hime, daughter of the Daimyo." The boys froze at that with the expression akin to someone who was just told they had drunk poison. _

"_W-w-we didn't know" one of them cried out._

_All of them swiftly dropped into a low bowing position, shouting, "We are terribly sorry if we have been a bother to you, Kurayami-hime! Gomenasai!" in unison. Then the group quickly scurried off before any of them could be stopped, lest they face the consequences for their stumble._

_The kenjutsu master just sighed. Immediately, Tsuki could feel herself being pulled up. Menma was holding her in his arms, looking her over for injuries. "Are you okay hime? Are you hurt?" The worry was apparent in his voice, and it made her blush from his concern._

_When she looked up to answer him, their eyes briefly met. For those few seconds, time stopped for Tsuki as she gazed into what must have been the deepest, sapphire blue orbs she had ever seen. She realized she found this boy more than just interesting. She was falling for him. _

_This realization only magnified her blush, and she began to feel faint when her protector had gently grabbed her hands, lifting them to inspect her wrists for marks where the other boy had grabbed her._

"_I-I'm f-fine, really," she forced out, her stutter more noticeable than usual. The boy looked relieved to hear that, and helped the princess to her feet. She twiddled her fingers for a few seconds nervously, not knowing what to say. _

"_T-thank you," she whispered gratefully._

"_Don't thank me," the boy asked, his mouth stretching into one of the brightest smiles she had seen, "it was mostly womanizer-sennin. I'm just glad you're okay."_

"_Say, gaki, why don't you walk her back home to make sure nothing else happens to her," the older man piped in._

_Menma turned to him with a pouting glare. "You just want me to leave so you can go pick u women instead of training me womanizer-sennin!" he argued._

_His sensei just turned and began walking away. Not really paying attention to the boy any more, he shouted, "Just do it!"_

_His student turned back to Tsuki, and his frustrated pout softened back into his heartwarming grin. "All right, I guess I'm escorting you home, Tsuki-hime. You're gonna need to lead the way though; I've never been to the Daimyo's tower._

"_A-all right then, this w-way," she stuttered quietly. As the two fell in step together, the Daimyo's daughter turned back to her rescuer. After diverting her gaze from his distractingly beautiful eyes, she hesitantly asked the only question she cared for at this moment. "Ano… W-what is your n-name?" _

"_Menma," the boy in question declared proudly. Tsuki formed a meek smile._

_The rest of the walk was spent in silence, though not necessarily an awkward one. It was not that Tsuki did not wish to speak with her newly developed crush, but every time she lifted her head to speak and got a glimpse of Menma's handsome face, she lost all her resolve and continued anxiously fiddling with her fingers._

_Finally the two reached the building she lived in. Menma gave a low whistle in admiration of the tower. It was fairly obvious people of very high importance lived here. _

"_Well… Ano… B-bye, Menma-kun," Tsuki said awkwardly. She blushed when she realized she had added the 'kun' suffix to the blonde's name. But he __**did**__ save her, so she was allowed to show a little care, right?_

_As she looked at him she regretted that the two needed to part. Suddenly she got the urge to kiss him goodbye, then and there. She did not know where it came from, but the hero always got the girl, right? As much as she wanted it though, she could not bring herself to do something like that. She had just met him! And besides, what if he did not want to kiss her?_

_Instead, the heiress settled on muttering a heartfelt, "Arigatou, again," before closing the door and retreating to her room, to write a new diary entry to catalogue the day's events, and all the new feelings they brought._

* * *

Naruto let out an unimpressed "pfft" after finishing the first chapter.

'_**What, you didn't like the chapter?'**_ the fox asked inquisitively, curious to hear the teen's feedback.

'_No, it was a good chapter. You know, surprisingly romantic and stuff, but I think he coulda done better on the characters,' _Naruto replied skeptically.

'_**What was so unrealistic about the characters?'**_

'_You mean _other_ than ero-sennins total self-glorification with his character?' _

'_**Of course, that one goes without saying,'**_the fox said matter-of-factly. _**'The sage seemed to capture your 'dumb as he is brave' essence perfectly.'**_

'_Thanks for calling me brave, fox,' _Naruto said, deciding to ignore the insult and just take the first compliment he managed to receive from the kyuubi.

'_**Oh yeah, **_**extremely **_**brave,'**_ the fox drawled out, his container missing the implied insult.

'_The old man must've been losing his touch though, cause that Tsuki character is way off.'_

'_**Really? I thought she reflected the Hyuuga vixen's 'shy and innocent' act from your academy days quite well.'**_

'_Well, yeah, but I mean come on! She's shy cause she likes him?'_

'_**Yes, so? What is your problem with that?' **_Kurama asked in confusion.

'_It's so stupid!'_

The demon fox quirked in eyebrow. _**'How so?'**_

'_That's just not how people act when they like someone!'_ Naruto tried to explain to the bijuu, recalling his experience with Sasuke's fangirls in the academy. _'When a person likes someone they don't hide it, they rant on about the person all the time, ask them out constantly and completely smother them all the time!'_

'_**Well, some people get shy. As a matter of fact, didn't you clam up with a case of cold feet yourself when you asked the Hyuuga girl out?' **_Kurama prodded.

Naruto mentally spluttered with a light blush, remembering his behaviour that day. _'That… T-that's different though…'_

'_**Oh really? How so? I swear, whenever you opened your mouth I could not tell if it was you or the vixen talking.'**_

'_Come on, I couldn't have been _t-that _bad.'_

'_**Oh, but you were.' **_The kyuubi released a light snicker. _**'**_**Now**_** do you think the characters are realistic enough?'**_

'_Yeah… I guess…' _the jinchuuriki conceded. _'Well, except for the whole crush thing.'_

'_**How do you know? Maybe the Sanin was right on the mark.' **_Naruto donned a look as if the kyuubi had grown a second head. _**'Think about it kit, didn't she act all nervous and antsy around only you before?'**_

'…_No way, she was just a bit timid,' _the blonde denied.

'_**She was NOT **_**just a bit **_**timid. Fainting every time she spoke to you is more than **_**a bit **_**timid.'**_

Naruto was brainstorming for a logical explanation. _'Maybe she used to be epileptic?'_

All the fox was capable of thinking of was that he could not believe he was trapped in this baka. _**'Okay, number one, I don't think you just outgrow that. Number two, epileptics suffer from SEIZURES, not fainting spells. Number three, unless you flashing her a smile set her off, I think we can rule that theory out completely. Trust me kit, your smile is not **_**that **_**bright.'**_

* * *

**In the Konoha Hospital**

Sakura and Lee were currently in a dark room in the hospital. "Thanks again for helping me develop these x-rays, Lee," the medic nin said gratefully. She was completely swamped with her hospital duties today, and the amount of x-ray scans she had to produce would have taken hours had Lee not offered to assist her.

"No problem, Sakura-chan!" Lee proudly replied, donning a nice guy pose. Unfortunately for Sakura, he gave her a joyous smile, bringing with it a flash of light so bright that it singlehandedly ruined all of the developing photos in the room.

Sakura face-faulted; she was going to have to take those all over again. _'How did he do that! This developing room is completely black! Do his teeth actually… __**emit **__light?!'_

* * *

**Back at Mount Myoboku**

'_Whatever, there's still no way Hinata used to like me. I mean, ero-sennin practically made this Menma guy out to be like a hero to Tsuki! '_

'_**Didn't Tsuki's thoughts seem a bit familiar to you though?'**_ Naruto was coursing through his mind, trying to figure out what the fox was hinting at. _**'Didn't the Hyuuga vixen say similar things about you before the chuunin finals? You know, the whole **_**failure **_**spiel.'**_

The blonde blinked as he remembered. Hinata **had** said those things about him. Then Naruto scowled. _'Hey! I was a __**proud**__ failure dammit!'_

'_**Really? I don't know why you would be proud of that.'**_ The more his jailor seethed with anger, the more the kyuubi wanted to burst out laughing, but he decided to keep his composure just to see how much of a rise he could get out of the boy.

'_Shut it. Besides, she was just trying to cheer me up,'_ Naruto reasoned.

'_**Are you calling the girl a liar?'**_

'_Well… n-no…' _the future sage stumbled.

'_**So if Hinata really felt the same way for you as Tsuki did for Menma, then –'**_

'_No way!'_ Naruto cut the demon's suggestive voice off. _'Tsuki started to really like Menma after he saved her from those thugs! When have I ever saved Hinata?'_ the Uzumaki questioned triumphantly.

The fox gave a feigned thoughtful 'hmm'. _**'Say kit, didn't you once stand up for some Hyuuga girl who was getting pushed around by a bunch of bullies?'**_

Naruto squinted, running through his childhood memories. _'I don't think so. The only time I can remember seeing someone other than me getting bullied was that time I tried to help out that girl… with the… weird… eyes…' _the knucklehead's eyes widened, and he almost felt like slapping himself. He did not know what those big, pupiless eyes meant back then, but they were definitely Hyuuga. Could it really have been Hinata?

'_**Man, it must have been a really tough fight; it was probably the one that gave you the brain damage that turned you into a complete baka for you to forget so easily,' **_kyuubi commented.

'_Oh bite me! And besides, I doubt I impressed her much. All I did was get my ass beat,'_ Naruto argued in denial, unable to believe his dream girl could have possibly liked him.

'_**Yes, but you got your ass **_**proudly**_** beat, and you got up afterwards, and got your ass beat a little bit harder each time.'**_

'_Shut it, furball,'_ Naruto growled, fed up with the kitsune's mocking.

'_**Then keep reading the book so I have something to keep me entertained.'**_

'_Fine,'_ the bijuu's host grumbled, giving in to the demand and flipping the page. Secretly, he himself was curious as to what else would be revealed in the following chapter.

* * *

**Halfway Through Chapter 3**

_Tsuki gathered her will and pushed herself forward. She nervously approached her crush, resting on a bench on the sidelines with heavy breaths. Menma looked up as he noticed the slightly trembling girl closing the distance between them._

"_C-congratulations on b-beating Byakuya-san, M-Menma-kun," her weak voice said. It was a true underdog story, an upset no one had expected. In the first round of the tournament Byakuya, a nobleman and a prodigy in kenjutsu who was well on his way to becoming a captain, was eliminated by none other than the infamous demon boy, the worst of their year. _

_Despite Byakuya being her own cousin, Tsuki had secretly been cheering for Menma the entire match. Her cousin had always been cold to her, and she could not stand his pre-deterministic ways. A part of her was glad to finally see him put in his place._

"_Arigatou, Tsuki-hime." Menma donned a pleased smile that made Tsuki sway a bit._

_She managed to keep herself from fainting though, as she had one last thing she wanted to do. "M-Menma…" It only came out as a whisper, but nonetheless said boy heard and stared at her expectantly._

_Screwing her eyes shut, the princess shot her hands forward, holding a small container out for her crush and nearly shouting, "H-here!"_

"_For me?" Menma asked. Tsuki merely nodded her head, which was still fixated on the ground. The blonde's smile perked, and he gleefully took the container from her._

_He eyed it curiously, even holding it up to his ear and shaking it, before asking, "Um… What's in it?"_

_The Kurayami heir straightened her posture, but averted her gaze from his and twiddled her fingers. "I-it's a special h-healing cream I m-made. It will h-help you with your w-wounds."_

_Menma beamed and removed the lid of the ointment. He wasted no time, immediately placing the medicine on a cut on his arm. A warm, soothing sensation washed over the arm. "Wow, this stuff is sugoi! You made this yourself?" he asked in disbelief. _

"_H-hai." Tsuki nodded, a small smile appearing in reaction to the praise._

_Then, to her shock, Menma suddenly removed his shirt to treat the injuries on his chest. Tsuki reflexively lost all interest in the dirt she had been staring at so intently before, gawking at her crush as he rubbed the cream into his hard muscles. His toned abs enticed her endlessly, as did his pecs, all glistening with a sheen of sweat. _

_She let out a gasp, however, as Menma turned slightly to attend to his opposite shoulder, revealing a nasty gash on his back. Tsuki bit on her lip as an internal struggle raged inside of her. Seconds later, in a moment of courage Tsuki decided to be bold._

_She took a step forward and grabbed her cream out of Menma's hands. He turned to her confused. "Huh? What's wrong?"_

"_P-please turn around," she asked as she sat on the bench beside the shirtless boy. _

"_Huh? What for?"_

"_T-there is a bad w-wound on your b-back, please l-let me get it f-for you," she explained, silently pleading for him to allow her to._

"_Oh, okay," the soldier said in a calm voice as he complied, accepting her help._

_Tsuki mentally celebrated, just before panicking at the task at hand. Knowing it would be rude to just retract her offer, and not wanting to lose the opportunity, the princess dipped a hand in the slimy substance and shakily brought it up to the blood red gash. She took a deep breath and made first contact._

_Menma hissed quietly; the wound was still fresh and even her gentle touch stung a little, but that pain turned into a comforting warmth as the remedy began to work. Tsuki diligently applied the cream, working it into the cut. Unfortunately, her patient began releasing soft sounds of approval. The secret admirer was losing her concentration from having her love there, half his body revealed and quietly moaning in pleasure. Her hand started to move on its own, becoming adventurous and exploring more of the boy's sculpted back, gently caressing every muscle._

* * *

As he was reading this, Naruto's cheeks were dusted with a light blush, imagining the characters' real-life counterparts performing these actions. This was when his tenant decided to cut in again.

'_**You HAVE to be kidding me.'**_

'_What is it now, kyuubi?" Naruto spat. These interruptions were testing his patience._

'_**You CANNOT be blushing at such a tame scene after all the things you and the Hyuuga vixen have done together! Kami, even after getting laid, you still act like a complete virgin!'**_

'_Can you just shut it so I can actually finish this book __**before**__ I step down as Hokage?'_

'_**Oh I'm sorry, **_**future-Hokage-baka**_**,' **_the kitsune apologized, channeling as much sarcasm as possible into the title,_**'Did I just chase away your boner?'**_

'_Can't I just get five fucking minutes of peace?!'_

"_**My apologies kit, did I **_**rub you the wrong way**_**?'**_ Kurama teased.

'_Yes!'_ the pissed teen mentally screamed. _'I can't continue with you spewing shit all the time; the only reason I'm even reading this book is to get you to leave me alone!' Naruto lied. 'Are you happy? Another stupid chapter.'_

'_**More issues? I don't see what your problem is; the old sage might have been an even better author than a shinobi.'**_

Naruto groaned. Another person defending his sensei's perverted novels. _'It's just the scene with the medical cream; I don't get why ero-sennin made it seem like such a big deal._

'_**Eh? Are you serious?' **_the nine tails' asked the teen questioning the scene's significance. _**'You do remember when the girl gave you that cream, do you not?'**_

'_Yeah, 'course I do. It was right after my preliminary match in the chuunin exam.'_

'_**Yeah, right after you kicked her teammate's ass!'**_ Naruto's prisoner said as if the meaning should be easily understandable. Knowing how difficult it was to get through the hyperactive ninja's head, even from inside of it, the bijuu began to clarify.

'_**You kicked her TEAMMATE'S ass, and who does she go running to with the only container of healing ointment? It's a complete slap in the face really; imagine if you were the one getting thoroughly licked by the dog boy, and then Sakura goes to HIM right away to heal him?'**_

Naruto contemplated that thought. When the fox put it that way, it actually sounded pretty meaningful. However, it seemed completely unlike Hinata to do something so rude. _'I'm sure she didn't mean to offend Kiba; I know she cares a lot for her team.'_

'_**Yeah, but I guess she cares more for you.'**_

'_Are you really going on about this again?'_

'_**Kit, I honestly think the vixen might have had a thing for you.'**_

Naruto still refused to accept the idea. _'Can you just stop with that? You have no idea what you're talking about. She was just being nice giving me the cream; I don't know how ero-sennin even found out about that.'_

Kyuubi smirked. _**'He must have really done his **_**research**_**…'**_

'_Don't you dare say it…' _Naruto challenged.

After a tense silence, the nine tails' whispered out, _**'…on you.'**_

'_PERVY SAGE DID __**NOT**__ PEEP ON ME! NEXT PAGE!'_

* * *

This time, Naruto **did** have a hard on. It had taken until chapter five, but the aroused blonde had finally reached the first adult scene of the novel. Really, the toad sage's pupil was quite surprised the book had proved to be more than just a literary orgy of pornography so far. Perhaps the boy had been too harsh on his sensei, calling his books big perverted smut-fests. He was starting to see the appeal – even if he would never admit it…

However, his blood ran cold as the details of the scene hit him. Currently, Tsuki was getting herself off from outside the protagonist's room while peeking in the window of his balcony. What had Naruto feeling suddenly violated, however, was that the character he had come to know as his counterpart was in an eerily familiar position: jacking off on his bed to a bare-all photo of Tsuki he had _found_ after Tsuki had slipped it into his pack.

'_H-how… How d-did he know?' _

'_**Still have any doubts the big lecher did his **_**research**_** on you too?' **_

'_THIS IS JUST A COINCIDENCE!'_ the disturbed blonde yelled in refusal.

'_**Try to think back kit, did the perv ever badtouch you?'**_

'_ONLY IN OIROKE JUTSU FORM!'_

'_**And you enjoyed it, didn't you, you slut!'**_

'_I SWEAR TO KAMI I AM GOING TO HAVE YOU NEUTERED IF YOU DON'T SHUT YOUR MOUTH!'_

Another tense silence followed, the air thick with an aura of killing intent that actually made the kyuubi proud. So proud, in fact, that demon decided to test the limits of his host's hate.

'…_**You know it's true, don't get so **_**butthurt **_**over it. I know the truth can be hard to **_**swallow**_**, but why don't you just **_**spit it out**_** already? You already know the man was a greasy, perverted bastard, why are being so **_**anal**_** about protecting his **_**innocence**_**?' **_the great kyuubi no kitsune, lord of all demons, finished his slew of blatant sexual innuendos against the student and teacher.

'_THAT DOES IT!' _Naruto was fed up with the molestation jokes, and was quite aggressive in showing his discontent. Within his mindscape, the enraged boy created around two hundred shadow clones, which was pretty trying, even for him, though still not his limit. The mental copies all rushed through the giant cell's bars, storming the annoying fox. Kurama merely swished one of his tails across the incoming tide of orange. To his dismay, most of the clones managed to actually latch onto the kyuubi 's tail with – what he considered – disproportionately strong teeth. The kage bunshins were quickly slammed against the walls of the cell until they had all dispelled. However, the infuriated shinobi did not miss the barely perceptible wince the kyuubi made.

'_**That – that actually hurt a little!' **_The fox demon's expression matched his surprised tone. Naruto was going for more than _a little_, but against the most powerful of the nine tailed beasts, he counted that one as a victory.

'_Hope that teaches ya,'_ he said triumphantly, outwardly smirking.

'_**Man, your mouth was all over me! I bet Jiraiya would really be jealous of me.'**_ Apparently the fox learned his lesson about as much as Naruto did in his academy classes.

Despite the continued teasing, Naruto just silently glared. _**'Nothing?'**_ the fox asked, disappointed by his lack of reaction.

'_I think I got it outta my system,'_ his host replied evenly.

'_**Fair enough. Still, I have to wonder… just how much of that scene do you think really happened, kit?'**_ the fox hinted.

Naruto had no idea what his prisoner was trying to suggest. _'What do you mean?'_

'_**Oh, you know,'**_ he said suggestively, _**'I am talking about Tsuki right now, how she's…'**_

Kyuubi trailed off, and as expected Naruto rushed in to dispel his implied hypothesis the second he understood what the bijuu was getting at. _'No way! There's no way __**Hinata**__ would be watching me… er… do _that_, while she…'_ A whole new blush appeared on the boy's cheeks.

'_**And why wouldn't she? We already know she has had sex dreams of you, and she all but tied you down and rode you like a hachibi as soon as you came through the door on your first date; how is she still too innocent for a bit of byakugan peeping?'**_

'_That's different! Dreams and consensual sex are okay, but peeping is wrong!' _Naruto argued, completely unable to imagine doing such a thing.

'_**Yeah, but it feels soooo right,'**_ the uninhibited demon chimed in.

'_You really are a pervert, you know that?'_

Kurama instantaneously became deadly serious. _**'Kit, I have been trapped inside you jinchuuriki for the better part of the last century. I have not gotten laid in ONE HUNDRED YEARS. The closest thing to sex I get is watching you monkeys hump. So I am going to peek at your bedroom escapades all I fucking want, unless YOU want to come in here, sexy-jutsu your ass up and get me off!' **_Right when his host thought the kitsune was finished, he continued rambling in a contemplating manner. '_** And my dick is bigger than your damn BODY, so penetration is definitely out of the question. You would have to use your harem jutsu just to rub me off, I'd say probably eleven or twelve should do it. And then I would need another one to give me something to look at, as I doubt I'd be able to see your puny form from under my member. It would be even better to use two for show, just so you could make out with each other; that would definitely make the job faster.'**_

Naruto was becoming seriously disturbed, and more afraid of the immortal demon living inside his head than ever before. He had to speak up before he barfed from the idea of what the fox was planning out. _'WHY HAVE YOU PUT SO MUCH THOUGHT INTO THIS?! ?!'_

'_**Kit: I. HAVE. BEEN. DRY. FOR. A. CENTURY. I'll take whatever I can get.'**_

Desperately wanting to forget he ever heard any of this, Naruto switched back to the now appealing subject of Hinata's being a possible voyeur. _'Okay, back on topic, there's no way Hinata was watching me jerk it.'_

'_**Back to the truth, yes she was.' **_Then, the kyuubi managed a great feat for any human: he shut Naruto up._**'Don't you remember what happened after you finished?'**_ The bijuu could not help a short giggle. _**'Hehe, **_**finished**_**.'**_

The blonde rolled his eyes at the demon's childishness. _'Yeah, after I… er… _finished_, I heard something and then I found Nej –' _Naruto's eyes widened as he remembered catching the Hyuuga prodigy on his balcony, before he got righteously beaten by him for having his privacy invaded. _'OH MY KAMI, NEJI WAS SPYING ON ME MASTURBATING!'_

Kurama sweatdropped at the knucklehead's… _knuckleheadedness_. _**'I do not think he swings that way; he **_**is **_**bedding Tenten, remember?'**_

Naruto released his unknowingly held breath in relief with a 'phew'. _**'Besides, that scream that got your attention earlier, didn't it sound a bit more… feminine, than Neji?' **_Naruto thought about it. The kyuubi was right; he had initially been surprised to discover the Hyuuga branch member rather than a girl when he opened his blinds. The scream had definitely sounded like a scared woman. _**'What could Neji have possibly been doing on your balcony that late at night?' **_Naruto remained silent, not capable of thinking of anything. _**'Do you think it is possible that… perhaps… the boy went to find the Hyuuga vixen, and caught her in the act?'**_ Kyuubi could not possibly explain any more clearly.

Naruto wanted to argue, but was left utterly speechless. This explanation made much more sense than any possible alternative. It explained the feminine scream, why Neji appeared to be hurt when he found him, everything except for why **he **got beat for being peeped **on**. Hinata must have been caught in the act, incapacitated her cousin and ran.

In a flash Naruto's eyes were the size of dinner plates, and he lost the capacity to form actual words. He flipped the Icha Icha Blodlines book to look at its cover, depicting the scene being discussed. It showed a girl with Hinata's same long blue hair and lavender eyes (though with pupils), except with a loosening expensive kimono rather than her form-fitting mesh shirt and capri pants, with one arm leading to her barely covered sex. Her gaze was directed through the small part in the curtains past the window she was huddled outside of. On the other side was a naked blonde resembling Naruto without his whiskers, his body blocked from view from the waist down.

Naruto was flabbergasted, his only thought being of how this **actually happened**. _'…W-why was she there? D-did she k-know… That I took t-the picture? Why didn't s-she just storm in and t-take it back then?'_

'_**I dunno, how did Menma get his picture again?' **_ the fox slyly referenced the erotic novel to his flustered host.

'_What does that have to do with it? He got it from Tsuki when she slipped it into his – NO WAY! Hinata did that on purpose?!'_

'_**She must have. It would be sort of tough to do that by accident, considering you never dropped your weapon pouches.' **_

The demon had a point, Naruto was clueless as to how he ever came into possession of the pictures; was it possible she had put them in his pouch while he was in the river? _'B-but… Why?'_

'_**Because she likes you, kit,'**_ the kyuubi asserted as if he were speaking to an idiot. Naruto was even more shocked. Sure, with all the evidence from their academy days, even with the teen's thick skull he was beginning to accept that Hinata may have liked him before. But for **that long**?!

'_Why couldn't she just… you know, ask me out or something?'_

'_**Because she's shy as fuck, have you forgotten already?'**_

'_Still… That just seems so… unlike Hinata to do something like that!'_

Kurama shrugged. _**'Guess she must have been getting desperate for you to notice her after so many years. Unlike you when it came to Sakura, she does not follow the motto: If at first you don't succeed – keep doing the exact same thing repeatedly. At least she made an effort; perhaps if you had tried a different angle with your teammate you would have had a chance. Hell, even just asking her out to anyplace other than that shabby ramen stand probably would have raised your chances.'**_

Naruto decided to bite his tongue and ignore the insult to his favourite restaurant. Sick of listening to the demon's rantings, the jinchuuriki decided to bookmark his page, put the book down, turn of the lamp and retire for the night. He still had to be up early for training the next day, after all.

As the boy finally received the peace and quiet he needed to sleep, he reflected on the second coded message his sensei had left him with, only one thought lingering in his close to slumbering mind. _'If Hinata really did like me… Then what did I do to screw it up?'_

* * *

**A/N: Done! Did it surprise you? Naruto's finally beginning to get a clue! To – **_**take the hint**_**, if you will. (ROFLROFLROFLROFLROFL) Probably the main reason the chap was so long was because of how long it took to get that little tidbit throught Naruto's skull. And we have once again returned to a lighter side of this fic! Was it to your likings? It had Myoboku, Sasuke and the ever wacky team formerly-known-as Hebi, Lee's bright smile, Icha Icha, kyuubi's childishly irritating goodness, and questioning Jiraiya's sexuality. What more could you want? Don't worry, that's in the next chapter! **

**FOLLOW/FAVE/REVIEW/PEEP!**


	17. Chapter 14: A Painful Reunion

**A/N: Yo! I'm not dead! Hooray! Yeah, so I'm sorry you guys had to wait so long for this, but… stuff. Hey, just be glad I'm not one of those authors who takes MONTHS to update their stories! And I will never, ever abandon mine! I just have other shit going on, and I had a bit of difficulty getting this chap onto paper (well, laptop). But now it's here, and I think the timing's just perfect, because I now have 420 followers! That happens to be a favourite number of mine (if you don't know why, ask any stoner buddies you may have...). Hope you enjoy! It's a little bit of a timeskip from the last chap, I hope that doesn't set any of you off. **

**Disclaimer: I don't read the manga, no spoilers or I kill you!**

"Speech"

'_Thought'_

'_**Kyuubi Thought'**_/**"Kyuubi Speech in Mindscape"**

*********EDIT: IF PEOPLE KEEP LEAVING SPOILERS IN THE REVIEWS (I HAVEN'T READ MANGA, DON'T JUDGE), I PROMISE YOU THAT THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL SEE NARUTO MARRYING SAKURA, SECRETLY CHEATING ON HER WITH SASUKE (SASUKE WILL BE THE DOMINANT ONE) AND HINATA WILL KILL HERSELF FROM DEPRESSION! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!*********

* * *

Hinata felt as if a crushing weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Naruto was in the village again, and she had finally mustered up the courage to utter those three golden words.

"_I love you."_

She had finally said it, and she meant it. Despite her heartbreak, she still did. Her feelings for her blonde hero would never change. She did not know what had possessed her to say it; maybe it was because she had already lost him and desperately wanted another chance, or maybe she thought she had nothing left to lose, or maybe it was the adrenaline rushing through her veins. Either way, she had said it.

With the feeling of accomplishment this confession brought, Hinata felt almost as if she could die happy. And that's why she held the small, proud smile on her face as Pein drove the metal rod through her back, and while thoughts of Naruto danced through her head, all became black.

* * *

Everything was silent. The frightened cries of fleeing birds, the crackling of burning fires, the whistling of the wind, all went mute at the tragedy before them. Naruto was unable to even hear the relaxed footsteps of his enemy.

His eyes expanded to their limits, fixed upon the limp form of the girl he loved. The girl who had just confessed her love for him.

It didn't make sense. The confused sage's mind was reeling, trying to take everything in. He desperately wanted answers, but he knew it was too late to receive any.

It wasn't fair. Naruto kept staring, waiting for himself to wake from this vivid nightmare. Though his relieving escape never came, and he was left to process this cruel reality.

"It was just like this," Pein began, causing his captive to reflexively jerk his head his way as his emotionless voice penetrated the pseudo-silence, "when my parents were killed right before my eyes, by shinobi of the hidden leaf."

Though the shell-shocked jinchuuriki could hear, the Akatsuki leader's speech was being all but ignored as frantic explanations, denials, and frustrations resonated through Naruto's mind. Despite his lack of attention, his strained blue eyes were locked onto the ringed purpled ones of Pein. He was too scared to look down again. Scared to see what he desperately wanted not too, hoping the illusion would simply disappear if he paid it no mind.

"Because of the existence of love, sacrifice is born, as well as hate. When one comprehends, one knows pain."

The jinchuuriki was becoming more and more annoyed with this god-complex lunatic with every word. Here he was, preaching about pain, after trying to take away everything Naruto loved. The audacity of the hypocrite infuriated the sage.

Who was he, to preach about peace, too? His vision of peace was nothing more than fear, people living fearful existences, constantly afraid of the threatening deity that was him. What about Naruto's peace? He had had dreams of peaceful days too, just like their master before them. Days when all this fighting would end, when he would no longer have to worry about protecting his precious people. Days when he could settle down, relaxing in the safety of this new order. Days when he could possibly even start a family – and as time went on, the blonde found Hinata playing the role of mother to his children increasingly often in these comforting daydreams of his. Just her face alone could calm him with the sense of peace it emanated. Naruto almost believed that her smile could end wars.

But now, his peace was lying face down in a puddle of her own blood, crushed by this relentless, so-called _peace_.

Confusion. Torment. Agony. **Anger**. All of these were trying to pull his mind in every which way, and his body was beginning to feel like it was radiating all these emotions into the very air. He was sure Pein could taste his feelings on his tongue.

It was then that the final hope of Konoha could not contain himself any longer, and Pein's influence caused him to fulfill the madman's prophecy. Naruto's pain gave way to hatred.

His hatred felt like a separate entity in itself. It spoke to him, telling him to kill, telling him to destroy. It pounded on his skull in displeasure of the sage's restraints, as if attempting to break free and fulfill its desires itself. He could feel his hatred flowing through his body, leaking out of his pores, strengthening his muscles, reinforcing his bones, granting him immense strength.

Then, the boy's vision seemed to be put through a red filter for a split second as his eyes flashed a haunting luminescent scarlet, and then all became black.

* * *

'_Why? How did it ever come to this?'_

The blonde found himself in the all-too-familiar depths of his mind. He was floating in the flooding water. His body was half-submerged in the surrounding wetness, which was boiling to the touch despite the lack of bubbling. Boiling like his blood.

'_This hurts,' _he observed ruefully to himself. _'Everything hurts. I hate this.' _

"_How would you confront this hatred to create peace? I want to know your answer…"_

Pein's question flashed through his conscious, adding to the overwhelming confusion and frustration. _'I don't know,' _the sage admitted to himself. _'I don't know anything anymore.'_

Unable to withstand the scalding water any longer, Naruto strained his sore muscles to pull himself into a sitting position, bringing at least his upper half relief.

'_Ugghh… Someone… please… give me an answer…'_ The boy continued to plead to anyone who would listen, until he was answered by the rumble of a deep, booming voice.

"**Destroy everything,"** the demonic voice of his tenant answered his silent begging. Naruto's full attention drifted behind the towering metal bars in front of him. **"Erase anything that causes you pain."**

"**Give me your soul, your vital essence, GIVE IT TO ME! And in return, I shall end your pain." **Before the jinchuuriki could answer the kyuubi's proposition, his shirt flew open. The sudden gust threw his head back, but when it fell back to inspect his bare torso, he witnessed his unravelling seal leaking some sort of inky, black substance into the water.

Naruto rose to his feet as the substance spread across the water like oil. He could not think any more. It was too painful. He let the fox do it for him, subconsciously complying to his will.

"**Yes, you're doing fine," **the fox practically purred in delight as his container made his first steps towards the bars. _**'First freedom… then the bitches…'**_

The defeated blonde drug his feet toward his destination. His body was but a puppet, his strings pulled by the demon within him. He did not think about Pein anymore. He did not think about his sick vision of peace. He did not think of Hinata anymore. He did not even think of the epic duel unfolding in the real world. He could not handle any of it anymore. He entrusted all of his problems to the kyuubi know, freeing his shoulders of the weight of the world.

He reached the cell, but without the energy to make the final leap to his target. As if it knew, the fluid around him began to swirl, a whirlpool of the liquid raising him until he was face-to-face with the object he sought.

The seal.

Naruto slowly raised his hand, reaching for salvation. As his fingers slipped beneath the paper, he did not feel the rough beginnings of rust on the metal bars, nor the smooth parchment in his digits, the heat of the water at his feet, or even the intent blue eyes fixed on him. He was completely numb.

But then – within a fraction of a second – the broken shinobi was tackled away, just before he could rip the last wall separating Naruto from his peace and the kyuubi from its freedom. All the surprised blonde heard was the swish of the cloak which now flicked around him, and he felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around him, dragging him back down into the abyss of his pain.

When the two landed, the figure set the boy in his hands on his feet. Naruto looked into the face of the mysterious intruder who had just stopped him from the deed at hand, and was immediately awestruck at what he saw.

"…Lord Fourth?"

"Naruto," was the only soft response of the living legend before him.

'_But wait… the Yondaime is dead…'_ Millions upon millions of questions formed in the young ninja's mind, but each time one nearly made it to his throat, another would shove it out of the way, leaving Naruto staring in silent awe.

Seeing that the confounded sage would not be able to find his tongue, he spoke again to break the silence. He explained how he had designed the seal with a portion of his own chakra, allowing him to reside in Naruto's psyche in case of the nine tails' breaking out. "I was hoping it would never come to this, as I never wanted to see **you** again." Minato cocked his head towards the seething demon, its head lowered to glare at them vehemently.

The demon replied by lifting its head to release a mighty roar of fury. **"I never wanted to see YOUR ugly mug again either, teme Hokage!" **he snapped after nearly winding himself with the roar. **"Why couldn't you have put Kushina in here instead? I would not have minded getting to see that fine piece of ass again!" **the demon exclaimed cheekily.

"Shut it, nine tails," a somewhat irked Minato commanded. He **really **had not wanted to see him again.

"Who's Kushina?" Naruto cut in, asking the obvious question. He hated not knowing what others were talking about, especially when they were arguing inside his own mind.

"Your mother."

"**My bitch."**

Both the yellow flash and the kyuubi spoke at the same time, the demon's answer earning another shout from the former Hokage. "I said shut it, kyuubi!"

Naruto paid no mind to the pair's squabbling as the piece of information hit him. "You… You knew my mother?"

Minato reacted with a short chuckle. "Yes, you could say that I knew her very well."

Naruto's eyes just widened, forgetting everything else, desperate to know more about his family. He said the first thing that came to mind. "…What was she like?"

As the Yondaime drew a breath to respond, the kyuubi's earth-shaking voice quickly overpowered him. **"Tall, natural redhead, 36 D-cup, that slappable ass, and oh the legs on the bitch, not to mention h-"**

"For the final time, shut it, nine tails!" The Namikaze's tone was venomous and demanding. "Don't you ever talk about her like that!"

The bijuu growled in its throat. It craned its head towards the bars, as close to Minato as possible, before smugly quipping, **"Just remember: I was inside her first."**

"SHUT IT, KYUUBI!" the blondes yelled in unison.

The Yondaime turned to Naruto with a raised brow. "Has he always been this mouthy?"

"All. The. Time," Naruto groaned.

"No wonder Kushina always had such a short temper…" Minato murmured to himself. "What do you say we go to someplace a little quieter?" he asked the shinobi. Before Naruto could so much as open his mouth, the Yondaime had snapped his fingers, causing their surroundings to disappear in a flash of white.

The loudmouthed fox was nowhere to be seen, nor was the cage which held him, nor the flooded sewer floor, or… anything, really. The two appeared to be placed in the middle of nothing, an endless hazy white expanse. Off in the immeasurable distance were flying bodies of light resembling shooting stars.

The beauty of the setting was lost on Naruto though, as his one-track mind had already kicked in at the mention of his mother. "So… How exactly did you know my mother?"

Naruto desperately wanted to know why the fourth Hokage had known his mother, not to mention the nine tails. That part confused him the most. Why would the **kyuubi** know his mother? Did this have something to do with why he was chosen to bear the burden of holding the demon?

Minato sighed. "I guess lord Third didn't tell you much about your parents. He must have been trying to suppress as much information about the nine tails as possible. Besides, if everyone knew who your parents were, you would have been in danger."

The deceased leader was raising more questions by the second, while Naruto's original query went unanswered. That is, until Minato gave the Uzumaki the most shocking revelation of his life since he discovered he was the kyuubi's vessel.

"You see Naruto, I knew your mother because she was also my wife." The younger shinobi's eyes went wide as he realized the implications of that statement. Though it did not need to be said, the Yondaime stated the fact anyway. "And you are my son." A small but warm smile was seen on the legendary ninja's face. He looked into the eyes of his son he had finally met, preparing himself for any dramatic reaction the unpredictable shinobi could respond with.

While Minato was ready for anything, he was completely unprepared for **everything**. The Fourth was baffled as his son's expression was swapped by the second. He smiled, he frowned, he seemed gleeful, he seemed troubled, he looked down in confusion, he looked back up timidly. He had no idea how to read his son; the boy's reaction to the news was not discernable. Finally, Naruto settled on a sudden offbeat laugh.

At a loss for words, Minato had no idea what to say. He was about to fall in step with his child's abnormal laughter when a blow to the gut as fast as his nickname was delivered by the now watery-eyed shinobi.

The winded and wincing Hokage began panting for air, and Naruto backed off of him, immediately initiating a hysterical rant. "Why would you seal the nine tails inside your own son?! Do you have any idea what I went through because you did that?! All of the grown-ups looked at me with contempt and fear, and I couldn't make any friends! I just wanted people to accept me! Or at least not hate me! So I trained really hard to become as strong as I could! Then I met Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, and pervy sage, and I was **happy**, because they helped make me stronger! But then, the Akatsuki came after me, so I had to train even harder, but I still couldn't stop them from killing my friends! Ero-sennin, Kakashi-sensei… Hinata…"

The last name came out as an airy, haunting whisper. The blonde grasped the sides of his head, tears still falling from his tightly shut eyes. He tried to shake the crippling thoughts from his head, but failed.

As Minato straightened his back to stand upright again, clutching his aching stomach, a frown full of regret surfaced. "I know. I've been watching you from in here, and I know it's little consolation, but I am truly sorry for all that you've gone through."

Naruto gazed up at his father through sad, tear-glossed eyes. "You've… been watching me… all this time?"

Minato twisted his frown into a small smile. "Yes. And you've made me very proud, son."

Those words warmed Naruto more than anything he had ever heard in his life. Knowing that his father had always been there inside of him, watching his every move, even when he believed himself to be completely alone in the world… it was a comforting thought. _'I guess… He's always been there with me… always watching… Never being alone for a minute…'_

Suddenly a random thought struck Naruto, and Minato looked somewhat confused by the blush dusting his cheeks. Naruto looked down with a twinge of embarrassment, muttering, "Have you… _always_ been watching me?"

The Hokage soon mirrored his son's embarrassment to a lesser extent, rubbing his head with a forced sheepish chuckle. Understanding Naruto's embarrassment now, as if he could read his son's mind, he responded. "Well… I wasn't **always** watching. Don't worry, I just sorta turned the other way when you had your… _private-movie-time._"

"Dad!" an even more flushed Naruto whined, reassured only a little about his privacy.

"You don't need to be so embarrassed, Naruto. It is a perfectly natural, normal thing for boys of that age to begin… _exploring_ themselves."

"DAD!" Despite the awkward teen's plight, Minato did not take his cue to drop the topic.

"Although, most don't usually do it so often… Though I guess we could chalk it up to you not having many other people to spend your time with…"

"DAAAAD!"

"And don't worry, I wasn't watching my boy's er… _first-date_ with that Hinata girl either." The Yondaime breathed an awkward chuckle. Surprisingly, Naruto had not interrupted like previously. Minato looked back at his son curiously, to see fresh tears forming in his downcast eyes.

The yellow flash's gaze turned solemn and sympathetic. "You really missed her, didn't you?"

Naruto nodded, the staggered sobs he failed to suppress the only noise exiting his mouth.

The resolved father took determined steps forward toward his son. "Look, I know I was never there for you as a father, so how about I make it up to you by giving you some parental advice to help you with this problem?" When Minato reached Naruto, he plopped a hand onto his familiar spikes. Naruto looked up with a disbelieving look, only to be met with his father's grin.

"How can you possibly help?" the heartbroken shinobi bleakly spoke. "Supposedly... she used to like me… But then we went on that date, and then… you know… and then, I was a just a smudge on her reputation, an unfortunate regret, or something… so I left her, but it really hurt, because I think I… I think…" After some hesitation, Naruto muttered under his breath, "I think I loved her…"

"I think you still do."

Naruto stared back at his dad in denial, though just his eyes alone gave him away and he knew it.

"And I don't think she thinks of you like that." Minato's voice was firm and sure. Naruto just looked confused, not moving as his father removed the hand on his head.

Minato met his gaze with a serious look. "Naruto… When Hinata asked you to keep _'this'_ between the two of you, did you ever consider that maybe she was not talking about your relationship?" Naruto's eyes scrunched, but his father could tell he was still not understanding, so he tried to subtly clue him in. "Did you ever consider that by _'this'_ she meant something a little more specific?" Still, the thoughtful blonde was unresponsive. "Something a bit more… _personal_?" Naruto still did not catch his drift. "…Something the two of you had done on your date? You know… the **only** thing you two did on your date?"

With only one possibility left, the obviousness level had finally reached high enough for Naruto to comprehend what is dad was referring to. This triggered another blush, and a stuttered reply. "W-well… I mean… W-why would Hinata…"

"Son," Minato said in the most fatherly voice he knew to make, firm yet warm and caring, "despite what you may think, not everyone likes to go around broadcasting every time they have sex like Jiraiya-sensei – especially women." The jinchuuriki was silent and attentive as his father imparted this invaluable life lesson unto him.

The sage then quirked a confused eyebrow. "Well yeah, I guess I wouldn't go around announcing it to everyone for no reason, but wouldn't denying it be lying?"

Minato sighed again. This was going to be tough, he just hoped his legacy knew more than he let on. Inside, he was severely disappointed that no one had ever taken the time to teach his young child the important lessons in life. He was a promising shinobi, and having had _the talk_ from the infamous ero-sennin (Minato wished he had thought of that name) qualified him to teach an advanced sex-ed class, but when it came to the basics like social skills, a healthy diet, and any form of cleanliness (his apartment had looked like a group of men had been locked in a cup ramen factory for a month), he was completely in the dark.

"Look, Naruto," the Fourth continued, "in some cases like this, it's okay to lie a little in order to preserve a secret that really isn't anyone's business. As I've said, intimacy is a very personal issue, and many people prefer to keep such matters private."

Naruto's eye's scrunched disbelievingly at this notion. "Are you sure about that? I mean, Kiba is always talkin' about the most recent chick he's nailed, and **everybody** knows who Ino's been with."

"Yes, Naruto, but they are much more open people than Hinata. Hinata's always been shier than them hasn't she?" Minato reminded. Naruto nodded, but could not rebut before his father cut him off. "So don't you think she might be embarrassed if everyone just knew her as the 'chick' you 'nailed'?"

This time, Naruto's gaze was one of realization. When his father put it like that, it sounded quite disrespectful and dehumanizing. He'd never let anyone think of Hinata as just some lay! He nodded; he could definitely see his father's point this time. However, his father was not yet finished.

"And what about her father?" he added.

And like that, Naruto was lost again. "What about him?"

"You do know who her father is right? Hiashi Hyuuga, the **head** of a very **traditional **clan, the very **traditional** clan whose heiress had just given her purity to you?"

It took the younger of the two a minute to get it, but he did. Hearing his father's emphasis on the traditional values of the Hyuuga, Naruto remembered back to his _talk_ with the pervy sage. He had mentioned something about _traditional_ girls back then… something like… to avoid getting stuck with _traditional_ girls, because they always made a big deal out of waiting before marriage to have se–

"Oh shit, I am screwed!" Naruto panicked, holding his head in a hysterical gesture and shaking over-dramatically. "Hiashi **cannot** find out about what me and Hinata have done! He would kill me! No one can ever know about this!"

When the spasming teen finished his fearful rant, he froze in place, staring at his father who had a knowing glint in his eye. Realization hit the knucklehead like a sack of paper bombs.

Naruto lowered his head in shame. "I really am a baka, aren't I? I can't believe I thought Hinata… And know she thinks that **I**…!"

"Naruto, look at me." He complied, with sad, darkened blue eyes. "Everyone makes mistakes sometimes; you're not the only one. You are not stupid Naruto, you just didn't have anyone around to teach you these things. If anything, it is my fault. I wasn't there for you…"

"No," Naruto said, surprising Minato. This time, it was his turn to reassure his father. "It wasn't your fault. You had a duty to protect the village. It… couldn't be helped."

Minato had not been expecting his son to say something like that. He couldn't help but smile, even if he still had a sliver of guilt buried deep inside him. _'Naruto has become so mature… I really am glad.'_

The teen's expression perked up just like his father's. Inside, Naruto's spirit was rising. _'Maybe I could still make everything right! Maybe I still have a chance too –'_

Just as the teen let his hopes up, an unfortunate memory dragged them back into the dirt. He had almost forgotten, or at least tried to forget, the unfortunate fate of his lavender-eyed love. The image of Pein piercing through her helpless body flashed in his mind, and Naruto could feel the rod stab his own heart.

Minato was surprised by his son's quick return to his previous hopeless mood. "It doesn't matter anymore…" Naruto whispered out. Minato raised a confused eyebrow, and a tear ran down the jinchuuriki's pained cheek. "It's too late… Hinata's… gone…" It was a sound low enough to be drowned out by a lazy breeze, but Minato picked it up.

For some reason, Minato chuckled at this. Naruto stared back at him, sorrow and confusion battling in his eyes. "You really lost it when Pein beat her, didn't you?" Naruto just continued to stare at his father, waiting for him to explain. "Before you passed out, before you retreated into your mindscape, couldn't you sense it? The chakra rods Pein uses creates a connection between the people they are implanted in, that is how he is able to control others' bodies. Even I could feel it from in here; Hinata is weak, but she is still alive."

Only a gasp was heard in response to this revelation. Naruto thought that he must have really been out of it if his father had noticed and he had not. He supposed the immediate rage and worry he experienced must have blinded him. He realised, _'Then that means… I can still save Hinata!'_ With newfound motivation, the strategic side of the warrior's brain was already plotting a way to utilize this invaluable information to pinpoint the true Pein. _'If my dad could sense Hinata using the chakra rods, then I should be able to sense Pein with them too.'_

Minato caught the change in his son's eyes and could tell right away that he had shifted into battle mode. The deceased Kage swelled with pride at his son's change in attitude. Unfortunately, now was the time to end the small talk. "As much as I'd like to continue getting to know the man my son grew up to be and my future daughter-in -law," –Naruto blushed at this– "there are more important things going on right now, and I'm afraid we're running low on time," Minato said with finality, though Naruto made no objection. Naruto met his gaze, and the blondes' began discussing a more serious topic.

* * *

After a few tense minutes had passed, Minato had finished explaining what had happened the night of the Kyuubi attack, as well as informed his son of the masked man in the akutsuki. Now, the Namikaze had his hand poised on Naruto's bare stomach, assessing the damage to the seal.

"Alright. I'm going to fix the seal now. It is going to take all my chakra, so I will not be able to do this a second time," he warned.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock and fear. "Y-you mean-" he choked out, and his father was able to read his fear.

With a solemn nod, "Yes, son. Goodbye." Minato looked back with a sad, regretful smile.

Naruto was silently panicking. Tears betrayed his sorrow. He had just met his father, the only member of his absent family he knew, and this would be their only meeting. He did not want his father to do this, he did not want this moment to end. He wanted to argue, to beg, but he knew it had to be done.

But there were still so many questions Naruto wanted to ask. Like, "…What about my mother?" The elder blonde still had not answered his question about her. All he had was a name, but he wanted to know so much more. He wanted to know his whole family, to be together with them as he should! He had to ask, who knew if anyone else knew about her, let alone if they would tell him after all these years of secrecy.

Minato's smile became a bit wider, though still held the regret it did before, regret for the short time they were cruelly left with. "Don't worry Naruto. You will find out much more about her later, when the time is right. Trust me."

Naruto stared into his matching blue eyes, as deep and warm as his own. He did not say another word. He trusted his father. He would look forward to that day.

In a wordless agreement, the two knew this was it. With a swift twist of the Yondaime's hand, Naruto was sent reeling as his nerves were lit, an overwhelming contraction of energy resonating through his very core.

At first sight of the remnants of Minato's chakra dissipating into the air, Naruto looked down. His eyes shut involuntarily for extra measure as the downpour of his tears just intensified. With a final breath, one last statement pierced the air.

"I believe in you."

Naruto would have laughed, were his sobs not constricting his throat. He now understood what all his friends meant. Apparently his father had the same tendency to say just the right thing at the right time as he did. It was a simple profession of faith, but it meant the world to the disheartened orphan. He could not have imagined a better encounter with his father, even if it had taken place under better circumstances.

"Thank you," he whispered out, not knowing if his father had heard. He did not dare open his eyes, for he knew when he did that his father would be gone.

White knuckles slid across his cheeks as he dried his tears, and with a deep collective breath, Naruto exited his mindscape to face the foe waiting for him. He could do this. For the village, for Jiraiya, for his father…

'_For Hinata.'_

* * *

Many would later dub it the duel of the century, though only because that was the common phrase. It had more than likely been longer since a battle of the same proportions had occurred, possibly not since the year of Madara and Hashirama's final confrontation.

It had lasted quite some time, though Naruto's return from the control of the Kyuubi marked the coming of the end of it. With a steel resolve, the boy had managed to outmatch his opponent, the final Pein. After the deciding attack, he had used the idea he received from his father to locate the true Pein. In the confrontation, Nagato found himself the newest victim to his sibling student's ability to change hearts. Affected by the Uzumaki's unshakeable conviction for his cause, the akutsuki leader atoned for his mistakes by giving his life to revive the casualties of the invasion using the rinne-rebirth jutsu.

The triumphant leaf shinobi was currently being carried on the back of his sensei, Kakashi Hatake. When the two made it to the treeline of the thick forest which gave Konohagakure its name, Naruto hopped off the cyclops' back, though still put his arm around his shoulder to relieve himself of a little bit of his body weight.

A surprise met the ears of the limping hero as he approached what now looked like the Village Hidden in the Craters. An unfamiliar tune to the jinchuuriki. It was quiet, but gradually increased in volume, following a nearing crowd of people.

It was cheering. The orange-clad ninja broke into a smile, his gleaming eyes giving away his surprise and elation. The last time Naruto had been cheered on had been after his victory in the chuunin exam finals. It brought him immense joy each time, to feel so celebrated, so… wanted.

The Uzumaki's sharp ears then picked up a different noise, one that stuck out from the others and just did not seem to fit. Like bagpipes in a string quartet. Naruto scrunched his nose in uncertainty, trying to identify this noise. It was within a few seconds that he noticed an imposing figure breaking away from the rest of the crowd, darting for him at a much faster speed. Once the person was within close enough range, the figure was quickly recognized as the head of the Hyuuga clan, Hiashi Hyuuga, and the blonde could make out that the noise was the call of his own name.

"UZUMAKI!"

At the outburst, Naruto nearly lost his balance as his support seemed to vanish from underneath his arm. Fortunately, Hiashi was there to right him in place of Kakashi with a swift fist to the side. Then the other side. Then his stomach. And another to his side for good measure.

It was not until Neji rushed forward and seized the clan head from behind that the onslaught did stop. The jonin mustered all his strength to drag away and attempt to calm down his seething uncle.

"What was that all about?" the pained shinobi asked, holding his twice-bruised ribs.

"What do you think?" Naruto knew that annoyed voice. He looked up to see not only his pink-haired teammate, but the rest of the Konoha eleven and Sai too, minus Neji and Hinata. Naruto just looked back at Sakura, perplexed as to why he was being beat by Hiashi, of all people. Naruto was pretty sure he had never really personally met the man, and he had just saved the village for Kami's sake!

Sakura just rolled her eyes in an irked fashion and clarified. "For what you did to Hinata, obviously!" This only proved to baffle the genin further.

'_Huh? What I did to her? What's that supposed to mean? What could I have done to Hinata to deserve that? I haven't even been in the village since we –! Oh my god, does he – No, he couldn't have found out; Hinata swore me to secrecy, there's no way __**she**__ would tell anyone! Then what could it be…'_

As Naruto sifted through the possibilities, anxiety took hold of him. When Naruto had last seen Hinata, she had been an inch from death in the middle of the battlefield, and now… Where was she!

His wide eyes scanned the group, but his beautiful love was nowhere to be seen. Sweat trickled down his brow as the jinchuuriki feared the worst. She had been right in front of him when he had begun his nine-tails transformation. He could not remember a thing after he had let the kyuubi take control. Was it possible that he – NO!

"W-what are you t-talking about?" Naruto asked, praying to hear any other explanation. The rest of the gang heard the poorly disguised fear in his query, though just assumed he was afraid of receiving yet another fist, this time courtesy of the slug sanin's strong-armed apprentice, for his transgressions.

"Are you serious? Do you have any idea how torn up she was?!" Sakura shouted to her dense teammate. She knew of what he had done to Hinata, as did the others. The Hyuuga heiress was unable to hide her heartbreak after Naruto left the village, and the rest of the gang were quick to investigate into the cause of her misery.

The hand of sorrow squeezed Naruto's heart as his worst fears were realized. _'No… NO! I couldn't have… I couldn't have killed Hinata!' _he thought, misunderstanding the implications of the kunoichi's words.

"I can't believe you would hurt her like that!" Tenten spoke up. She had expected Naruto to be more sensitive to Hinata; she never thought he could be so heartless and uncaring.

"She practically fell to pieces because of you!" her enraged dog-taming teammate added, baring his canines.

Naruto thought he was going to be sick to his stomach. _'Oh Kami… I must have ripped her apart so badly Pein's jutsu couldn't even bring her back!'_

"Really, Naruto! You just plowed her and dumped her like a piece of trash!"

"Ino!" Tenten silenced her lewd friend, though she showed no hint of shame for her perpetually inappropriate comments.

The hand squeezed his heart tighter. He couldn't even imagine treating Hinata like that, just crushing her like a bug and then abandoning her there like dirt. The boy could no longer keep his suffering quiet.

"No… I… I didn't mean to…" He sniffled, tears coming to his eyes. "I'm so sorry… I… had no idea…"

The others immediately straightened out in surprise of the hero's reaction. Most of them still had things they wanted to say, but relented at seeing Naruto's flooded eyes.

"I… I didn't even get t-to tell her…"

"…If you really want to see her," Sakura began, prompting her teammate to look up, "she's still in the medical tent." Naruto followed the arm pointing towards the makeshift medical center for the wounded shinobi and civilians.

Naruto bounded off immediately. "Thank you Sakura-chan!" he shouted as he left the others behind, forgetting completely about the celebrative mass of Konoha citizens close to catching up with the fast shinobi.

Sakura stared back at the rushing hero. She may regret her decision, but if his behaviour were any indicator, perhaps he had had a change of heart. The medic hoped the two could make up. She thought they would make a cute couple.

* * *

Naruto desperately searched through the rows of injured people, hoping he was not too late. His heart jumped when he spotted silky blue hair, but it fell as he remembered the chilling reality of the situation.

He walked up cautiously, almost afraid to see her like this. Still, he was glad that she was still here, and had not yet been taken away to wherever they were placing the bodies. He supposed there was probably some confusion with this matter right now, what with the dead returning to the living. He just felt lucky that he at least got the chance to say his last goodbyes.

He knelt beside the bed, tears stinging his eyes once more. He looked over her face, and straight into her closed eyes. Loving eyes that he would never get to see again. She looked so peaceful, almost as if she were just sleeping. Naruto was expecting her to be looking far worse after what he had heard, those medical nins were miracle workers – but not good enough. He was too afraid to dare look at her body concealed under the blankets, afraid to see the results of his work.

He just gazed downward and began to let his feelings out. "I… I can't believe it happened like this. I didn't know…" The remorse in the sage's tone was palpable. "I never would have left you… not if I had known… I didn't want it to end like this, dammit!" Naruto nearly shouted, not caring for the others in the tent. "I know it's too late now, but… I just wanted to say… I think… I think I loved you…"

"Then why did you leave me?"

Naruto's head shot up as he was hit with the soft voice, and his whiplashed heart followed. To his awe, his eyes met with Hinata's, who was sitting up weakly in her bed. There was a heavy silence as Naruto's mouth dropped agape, anticipating the words that would soon pour out of it. "Hinata!" he cried in joy, jumping up to wrap her in a protective hug.

Naruto was hysterical. "Hinata! I'm so happy you're alive! I was so afraid I'd killed you! I'm sorry! "I'm so sorry! Gomen, gomen, gomen! I didn't want to leave you! I never thought you could have liked me, so I left because I didn't want to be some mistake or secret! But then I read ero-sennin's book, and then I spoke to my dad in my head, and then – "

"Naruto," Hinata interrupted his rambling, "slow down, you're not making any sense."

Naruto sniffled, releasing Hinata and gathering himself. A small smile that gave Hinata goose bumps formed on the shinobi's whiskered face. "I love you too," he whispered, referring to the kunoichi's confession on the battlefield. "So much…"

Hinata's heart fluttered. She worried it would burst out of the wound in her torso. Hearing those words that she had waited countless years for brought a few tears to her own lavender eyes, though hers were of happiness.

"I mean it, Hinata-chan. I'm so sorry I left you. I was a baka. A complete baka! Please, you have to believe me! You have to forg – "

Naruto's desperate apology was silenced when a smooth, slim finger pressed against his lips. "Shh. Let's not talk about that right now." Naruto just stared. "Tell me how you beat Pein."

Naruto smiled, finally relaxing. Hinata just sat back, and let her love talk. There would be a time for explanations and apologies, but this was not it. For now, all she wanted to hear was the epic tale of the hero of Konoha. She would just rest beside him, letting her physical and emotional wounds heal as she listened to his voice.

* * *

Naruto had finally finished retelling the entirety of his fight with Pein in full detail, from start to finish. Hinata listened attentively, even to the parts she had witnessed herself. It always felt new and exciting when Naruto would explain things, he was a great storyteller. His stories were always exciting and engaging. She wondered if he had picked up this quality from his sensei who was also renowned as an author. When he had reached the point where Hinata had stepped into the fight, Hinata blushed from the flattery with every compliment he made about her bravery and her fighting.

Now, they were just basking in a comfortable silence, neither sure what to say next, not wanting to ruin the moment as they looked lovingly into each other's eyes. Hinata was the one to break the silence, after re-enacting Naruto's battle in her head. Something about his story seemed… off. Almost as if there was a part missing…

"Naruto…"

"Hm?"

"…How did you break free after Pein beat me?"

* * *

**A/N: YAY! They're finally back together! The obvious is explained more obviously, second chances have been given, and questions raised! What will happen next in the epic, humorous, sexy saga of these two lovers? Find out in the next chapter! **

**I hope this one was entertaining! And I hope you enjoyed the cold-open, thought it would be an interesting way to jump into the beginning. More emotional content, but I've still been faithful to the comedic quality of the series. As long as it comes out good, I'm happy. Anyway, I gave you Pein, Minato, some more of the kyuubi's razzing, confessions, making amends, and a lot of crying. A lot. Hope it was worth the wait! If not… well, I hope it would have at least have been worth the regular non-extended wait, in which case I need to stop making you guys wait so long! I still can't believe Naruto has actually come to an end though… I'm not sure how much longer until the anime reaches that point too, but I'm just going to savor every episode all the more! And after that, there's still the movie to look forward to! Naruto will always live on in my heart! And in fanfiction! (I hope the end of the series doesn't mark the end of Naruto fanfiction's popularity… or else I'm screwed)**

**FOLLOW/FAVE/REVIEW/REPEAT! **


	18. Chapter 15: Rebuilding

**A/N: It is here! Cue the celebration music! Now, I know what you're all gonna say – WHY THE F*CK DID THIS TAKE ME SO LONG! Now, before any of us make any racially offensive comments, lemme explain: I sorta put the chapter on standby around exam time to deal with all of that stuff, then after I was finally finished with final exams/term 1 tests/final assignments, I just started finding it really tough to write the chapter. Like I had really bad writers block, or something along those lines (I could barely make it through 2 lines without getting frustrated and starting something else). And then – well, Christmas, New Years (all the boozes), all that jazz, and I had a Christmas fic that I really wanted to write for Christmas (check it out!), so I spent a few days working on that one. Then all the holiday shit ended, and I had to move back into my dorm, but I stayed up to late and woke up late for class so I just didn't go, and then I got depressed about life, then I napped half the day – so yeah, basically I'm about as full of bad excuses as a butthurt NaruSaku shipper (such topical, much burn). I don't know why it was so hard to write this – if it was the chapter itself, my break making me rusty, or just pure procrastination (I'm sure ALL you authors have been there b4, hope you understand) – but either way, I buckled down, went into super-serious-work-mode, and got shit done. I stayed up til… 5 F*CKING AM to get this finished, so just know I MADE AN EFFORT. I am either pulling an all-nighter, or I am NOT getting up for class. Hopefully next chap is not this difficult.**

*******ALSO, just to make sure nobody gets confused, in this fic, Tsunade is NOT in a coma.*******

**EDIT: And there! Just to make this upload extra-special to apologize, I finally gave it a cover pic! No own, property of MattWilson83 (Big fan, pls don't sue!). There may not be colour, but I think its completely appropriate for the series. Now you have something pretty to look at when you click on this fic! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, tho Kishi shares my habit of lateness obviously, as ANOTHER damn episode was delayed! I have to wait an extra week, for a kami damn FILLER! Screw the f*cking anime, I might as well just read the manga instead.**

"Speech"

'_Thoughts'_

* * *

"…How did you break free after Pein beat me?"

The words hung in the air, their reverberation seeming to be the only thing to disrupt the momentary silence. Though it may have only been a few hesitant seconds, Hinata would attest that it felt like hours. This barely noticeable pause concerned the injured kunoichi, as the very atmosphere around her seemed to shift moods, even though her love's unchanging expression gave no cue – if anything, it seemed **too** unchanging, frozen almost, not as animated and responsive as the energetic boy usually was.

However, these foreboding few seconds ended, and Hinata was met with a response. "The escape jutsu," Naruto explained with his signature grin – though it seemed a bit too wide for Hinata's liking…

"There's no such thing," the Hyuuga firmly denied.

Naruto looked confused at this. "Eh? Yes there is! That's the jutsu Sasuke-teme used the time I tied him up."

"He was probably just too embarrassed to admit he had to wait for someone to come untie him," Hinata surmised.

* * *

**In a Distant Village**

The groggy last Uchiha sneezed as he stepped out of his inn room to find his swordsman teammate standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and bearing his sharp teeth in a teasing grin.

"What's wrong, Sasuke? Didn't get much sleep last night? Did Karin keep you up?" he questioned knowingly.

"I don't know what you are talking about," was Sasuke's emotionless reply.

Suigetsu sighed in exasperation at the rogue nin's denial. "Don't bother trying to cover up. Jeez, you guys were loud. I could hear you guys from my room, and I'm sure Juugo could too."

At this, Sasuke shrugged, dropping the act. "Hn," he grunted. "What can I say. I was stressed and horny, so I decided to have my way with Karin."

* * *

**The Previous Night**

Sasuke was just beginning to drift to sleep in his hotel bed. He took a deep breath and let it back out. He sighed, in utter bliss in his small room with a foul stench, on his worn and unpleasant bed stained with kami knows what. Anything was heaven compared to being back on the road with his incessantly bickering comrades. He was relieved they had finally made it into town and he would receive a short break from it all.

However, he soon realized his troubles had followed him, intruding on his serenity when he felt his arms being tied securely to the bed. Denied his rest, the Uchiha wearily opened his eyes to be met with the strikingly red ones of his female teammate.

Shocked alert, Sasuke jerked in an attempt to leave the bed, only to realize all his limbs were now fastened by chakra-suppressing ropes. _'This can't be good' _was his immediate reaction.

Since Karin was naturally talented at sensing chakra, she had become quite adept to hiding her own signature too. This, combined with being light on her feet and having stolen a spare key to the rogue nin's room, made it easy to sneak up on Sasuke in his drowsy state, much to his chagrin.

"Karin, what the hell are you d – hmph!"

"Shh," Karin softly urged after silencing him with a ball gag. "Don't talk; just sit back and enjoy. Tonight, you're all mine," she cooed in his ear. It was then that Sasuke noticed her state of dress – or lack thereof.

Sasuke lied trapped, emitting a muffled, pitiful whining noise he would forever deny making. _'Why couldn't it have just been a betrayal…'_

* * *

**Back in the Present**

Suigetsu just rolled his eyes at his teammate's response. "Sure," he sarcastically drawled, "that's why you've got those rope burns on your wrists."

Sasuke held out his arms and quickly looked down worriedly to his – unmarked wrists...

The sharingan warrior gave the iciest of glares to his unnoticing teammate, currently hugging his sides as he shook with laughter.

* * *

**Back With Naruto &amp; Hinata**

"Ha! That sounds just like the teme! " Naruto barked, very satisfied with the discovery.

"You still haven't answered my question," the injured kunoichi reminded, not sharing in his humor.

The blonde was quick to quit his chuckling, rubbing the back of his head. "I… uh… Guess you must've just weakened his hold on me enough for me to bust out," he stammered sheepishly, though without his ever-present grin.

The silence returned, as the pair locked eyes. Each bore a deceptively casual expression, masking the tension passing between the two. Naruto was once again frozen in the moment, however this time he seemed less pensive. It was more like he was waiting for some sort of approval, or permission to speak again.

"Alright." This time Hinata was the one to end the quiet. This reply saw Naruto's jubilant smile return to his face.

"So, when are you getting outta here?"

Hinata managed a smile as well. "The doctors say I should be able to leave in five days."

The heiress knew exactly what the boy was doing. He was changing the subject, but she let him. Naruto was hiding something from her, she was sure of it. The knuckleheaded ninja was a terrible liar, and Hyuuga's could spot bullshit about as well as an Inuzuka could smell it. Hinata had no idea what the secret could be, but she could tell how worried he was of her finding out. The kunoichi did not like the idea of her returned boyfriend so scared of telling her something; she wished that he would trust her more, if he truly did love her. Still, she would let this slide for now. She was at a tactical disadvantage if she tried to push the issue now, as she was stuck in the medical tent while Naruto could leave anytime if he became uncomfortable. Besides, Hinata did not want to scare her boyfriend away after just getting him back. Hopefully, he would just open up to her in time.

The Uzumaki gave a low whistle. "Only five days? Man, I used to get more than that with way smaller injuries!" he complained with a pout.

Hinata could not help but giggle at his cute pouty face. "That's because the doctors are trying to get everyone out as soon as possible to make room to treat the rest of the wounded."

"Makes sense. Ne, Hinata-chan, how about when you get out of here I take you on another date?"

The heiress beamed. "I would love that," she answered affectionately.

The blonde mimicked her dazzling smile, before scratching his chin in thought. "I should probably ask your dad for permission so I don't have your entire clan on my ass, huh?"

Hinata looked away shyly, gripping the sheets closer to her face. "Actually… I was hoping we keep him in the dark about… us. It's just I know he would not approve… No offense!" she said, hoping Naruto did not think she was insulting him.

"None taken. But… I think he already knows…" he finished off sheepishly.

The lavender-eyed kunoichi let some fear show in her expression. "Are you sure?" she asked, hoping he was wrong.

The blonde rubbed his still aching sides, though the bruises were nearly gone. "Either that, or the Hyuuga were in on the attack and he was trying to finish me off."

Hinata grimaced at the implication. Still, she was surprised her father knew of her… _relations_ with the young Uzumaki. What really confused her was the fact that he had never mentioned anything about it.

"Oh… Well then yes, it would probably be wise to ask him," the Hyuuga agreed. "You know, he would not have found out if you had not gone around bragging…" she claimed, shooting her blabbermouth boyfriend a displeased look.

"What are you talking about?" the confused genin asked. "I didn't tell anyone about our date. I figured you must've told the others after I left."

Hinata stared at him incredulously. "Well… I told Ino and Tenten, but a lot of others already knew. You really didn't tell anyone?"

"Of course not. I kept quiet just like you asked, honest," he reassured earnestly. Hinata quickly scrutinized his face, but could find no sign of a lie.

"But then… how did everyone find out?"

"I dunno, but I really want to find out," the blonde said, squinty-eyed, pondering the question himself. "I'd like to stay longer, but I should probably go back out and find out what Tsunade's planning on doing about the village – you know, not being there and all."

Hinata gave an understanding smile before sharing a reluctant goodbye. But just as her love turned to leave, she grabbed his hand. Naruto turned back to her and cocked a questioning eyebrow.

Hinata met his look with a serious gaze. "Naruto-kun, just know that no matter what my father says, I am not going to leave you."

The whiskered teen offered a warm grin back, squeezing her hand comfortingly. "Just ask the nurse to save me a bed beside you," he quipped back.

With that the hero of Konoha exited the medical tent, leaving Hinata to rest, more at peace than she had ever been.

* * *

Hinata's pearly lavender eyes lit with excitement after spotting the spiky head of blonde hair entering the tent. She had been waiting for him to show up. Naruto had visited her every day since they made up, telling her the latest news about Konoha whenever he could find the spare time. Today was different though. Today Hinata was able to leave; not yet at one hundred percent, but more than capable of taking care of herself.

The heiress sat up on her bed, feet dangling off the edge as her boyfriend made his way over. Said boy grinned joyously as he approached his girl. "Heya Hinata-chan! How're ya feeling?"

"A lot better now that you're here," was her reply. Naruto offered her his hand, interlocking them as she stood off the bed.

"How did the talk with father go?" Hinata asked. Naruto had been putting off the confrontation, obviously a bit nervous of facing the clan head. However, with Hinata leaving the medical tent, he promised that he would speak with the man yesterday after visiting her. The worry in her voice was apparent, but his grin did not falter.

"He said we could go out," he said, to Hinata's shock.

"Really? That's great!" she cried, enveloping the blonde in a tight hug.

* * *

**The Previous Day**

Hiashi missed his desk. He was so used to sitting behind the imposing piece of maple furniture in his old study. He was not sure what it was that was so intimidating about a man behind a desk. Perhaps it was the division between you and him, perhaps it was the air of authority it leant its owner, or maybe it was just not knowing what was inside of its drawers. Perhaps people were afraid of him pulling out a kunai or a string of paperbombs from the desk if he were displeased. Hiashi nearly chuckled at the thought.

Either way, this new setting was intimidating in its own way too. The clan head was currently seated face-to-face with Naruto Uzumaki, the boy who made his little girl cry, inside Hiashi's tent. It was a single-person tent, making the pair quite cramped. Both were sitting cross-legged, and were close enough that if one were to lean forward, they would most likely bump heads. Hiashi did not need his byakugan to see the first beads of sweat forming on the blonde's forehead.

He was going to put the fear of kami into the boy. The Hyuuga leader had already gotten a head start at it with his… _emotional outburst_ a few days ago, which he was slightly ashamed of, but mostly just disappointed by the lack of lasting damage. However, in this intimate setting, Hiashi would be able to take the insolent child's head off before he could even find the zipper. He hoped he realized that. It would make scaring him a whole lot easier.

"So," an eerily calm and collected Hiashi Hyuuga began, "let me get this straight." Naruto's blood was running cold at the stern, pointed stare contrasting the clan head's even tone. "You have defiled my daughter, and on top of my dining table no less! When I found out what filthy acts had occurred on it, I could not bear to eat on it anymore and had to replace it. That table was a gift from the daimyo, you know. It was a very rare mahogany. Hand-crafted, too. Very expensive, not to mention the fi –"

"Um…" the impatient Uzumaki interrupted Hiashi's ranting, "Does that really matter? It was probably destroyed in the invasion anyway…"

Hiashi was sending the blonde a scalding glare for interrupting him. "From what I hear, my daughter nearly was too, because you were unable to protect her," he quipped back, his controlled yet obviously displeased voice laced with a terrifying hint of anger.

This comment brought up nothing but ill memories and feelings in the jinchuuriki. If anyone else had said it, he most likely would have yelled for them to shut up, but since it was coming from Hinata's own father, Hiashi Hyuuga – he settled for pissing his pants a little.

"But I digress. As I was saying, you have defiled my daughter – and my table – not to mention my otou's serving platter," he tagged on in a mumble, "abandoned her without so much as a word, disappear from the village for months, return only to have my daughter nearly sacrifice her own life for yours – and **now** you are seeking my permission to court her?"

Naruto gulped. So far, this conversation was not going well. Better than expected, with regards to the lack of physical harm, but far from ideal. "Y-yes," he stammered out.

"Give me one reason why I should allow this." The clan head stared the Uzumaki down, impatiently waiting his answer.

Naruto was sweating bullets, fumbling for any response that would possibly satisfy the man. "Because I love her," he choked out.

"Yes, your actions certainly reflect that," Hiashi said with as much sarcasm as a Hyuuga was capable of mustering.

"Um… A-and she loves me," he followed up, growing more nervous with every word that left the pupiless man's mouth.

"Which is the only reason you are still alive." Another gulp from the blonde. "But what exactly can you offer her? You do realize my daughter is not only of noble Hyuuga blood, but as my daughter she may one day lead the clan. She needs to find a man who can provide a lifestyle fitting for a woman of her esteem and give her everything she deserves, so I ask you again, what can you offer her? What sources of income do you have?"

"W-well… My ninja pay, I guess."

"Hm. Last I checked, you were still a genin, the lowest class, and therefore lowest-paid class, of ninja, despite everyone else from your graduating class having already been promoted to chuunin, correct?" Naruto just managed a weak nod, his eyes averted from the harsh Hyuuga leader.

"Alright. Do you have a high social standing?"

"Well, w-when I become Hokage I'll-"

"Ah, so you can give my daughter poverty **and** delusional dreams. You know what, I just realized what else you have to offer her." He paused, allowing Naruto's anticipation to build up, urging Hiashi to reveal his redeeming quality with his gaze. "Luck. You must have an abundance of it for you to get a woman like my daughter to so much as look your way." And with that, the last of Naruto's hope popped.

'_Can't say that's not true, though…'_

"Now, unless there is something you are not telling me, I suggest you vacate my tent and cease your relationship with my daughter."

Naruto's sweaty palms started to clench. He ground his teeth. He had tried to control himself, tried his hardest to act polite and reserved. But Hiashi was testing him, and he could take no more of his verbal abuse. _'I may not be rich… I may not be influential, or noble… I may not have all the things that Hinata deserves… But for her…'_

He could have left right there, and maybe he should have. But the surprising shinobi was nothing if not persistent, and refused to back down without getting the permission of his girlfriend's father.

"Look," he began, his voice unbending and his gaze determined, "I don't have a lot of money… I'm not important or powerful… But everything I do have, I would gladly give to make Hinata happy…" Hiashi remained silent, his eyes piercing through his as if trying to detect a hint of a lie in the blonde's words. Naruto's voice started to raise passionately as his speech continued. "And if that still isn't enough, I'll find a way to give her what she deserves! Because I don't give up, and I don't go back on my word! That's my nindo! And I really care for Hinata-chan, so I'll stop at nothing to keep her safe and happy! Please give me the chance to prove it to you and Hinata!"

Hiashi's unchanging expression did nothing to calm Naruto's nerves. He was not sure where the words had come from, but he hoped they reached the Hyuuga leader. It only took a few seconds for Hiashi to speak up.

"Uzumaki-san," he began as if decided the whiskered teen's fate, "taking everything into account, I have made my decision. If you wish to date my daughter so badly, the only thing I can say is – you'd better treat her like you say you will. If you make her cry again, my fist will not be so gentle next time."

Naruto blinked. "Eh? Are you saying I can actually go out with Hinata-chan?" he asked disbelievingly to confirm he was not imagining this drastic turn from the outcome he was expecting.

Hiashi reacted to his question by crossing his arms regally and shutting his eyes in thought. "Hm. When you put it that way, it does sound like an immensely erroneous decision on my part. Perhaps you should stay a while longer so I can reconsider."

"ThanksforthepermissionIgottagobye!" the blonde spoke his words in quick succession. The head Hyuuga's long, neat chestnut hair blew as the orange blur exited his tent.

Hiashi reopened his solid white eyes, a smirk playing on his lips. _'I do not think I have ever seen Lord Fourth move with such speed.'_ He reveled triumphantly in his work. _'He certainly will not be leaving my daughter again any time soon.'_

* * *

Hinata had to adjust to the new image of the village. Having been stuck in the medical tent since the invasion, she had not yet witnessed the damage suffered by the entire fight – not that the village had been faring any better before she had been rendered unconscious. The ground that had once been covered in luscious greenery where smooth roads were not was now nothing more than a barren dirt crater, with jagged rocks and pits strewn about. The only structures that had endured the battle were the Hokage monument and the village gates, though a couple of the towering doors were thrown off their hinges by the rubble that had forcefully emigrated from the village.

However, early recovery efforts were visible in the distance due to the mostly unobstructed view. To the east lied row upon row of uniform tents, makeshift homes for the victims of this tragedy. To the west stood just a few functional, if plain, wooden buildings. Not nearly enough to put a dent in the construction that would need to take place, but it was start.

At the moment, Naruto was leading Hinata towards an area densely occupied with people. The Hokage had managed to supply her people with at least the essentials to survive, and that included feeding the masses. After spending around ten minutes in a line, the couple advanced to the front and received their lunch from a makeshift kitchen run by volunteer cooks, which today consisted of a decently sized portion of onigiri and a rather bland tea.

After receiving their food, they made their way through the unorganized rows of tables looking for a free spot. The makeshift seating seemed like it had been hastily put together, most making use of materials that were most likely just lying around. Some tables were a mess of flat stones and rocks, while others used long planks of wood that had probably been blasted from former buildings. There were a few that Hinata could easily tell had been formed with earth-jutsus by impatient shinobi who would have rather exerted some extra energy than wait for a spot to clear up.

Walking through the crowd of shinobi and civilian alike breaking for lunch, Hinata's lavender eyes noticed something unusual. As her and her boyfriend walked past, she caught sight of many people appearing to light up as they went. The bright smiles of strangers followed them, or more precisely, Naruto.

She turned to look to the blonde, his whiskered cheeks stretched in just as big a smile, infecting all those surrounding him with his joyous illness. Hinata was aware that Naruto had not been popular throughout his youth. That itself was an understatement, he had been the walking definition of pariah, even if the timid girl had not known why. But now, it seemed as if everywhere Naruto went, he was met with welcoming grins flashed his way, some vaguely familiar characters even daring to shout out a friendly, "Hey, Naruto!" which Naruto would respond to with a wave or a greeting of his own.

Hinata beamed herself. It made her happy to see the village people accepting him like this. It made her happy to see him so happy. Naruto looked back at her too, their eyes connecting as if caressing each other's. Naruto's grin nearly reached his ears.

Finally the blonde found a seat for the two of them. They sat alone on a long, smooth stone that seemed rooted into the earth, and placed their food on what was once a door held up by four fence posts cut down to the appropriate height.

The Hyuuga's pearly eyes scanned from side to side. For as crowded as the outdoor mess hall was, they were probably the furthest away from the others as one could get. The couple had a one table buffer on every side. Hinata eyed her boyfriend curiosly. It was not like the hyperactive ninja to intentionally isolate himself like this, separated from the now welcoming crowd of chatting and laughing people.

"Naruto-kun, why did you pick this spot? I think I saw Shikamaru and his team sitting to lunch too, I am sure they would have made room for us if we had joined them."

Naruto looked back at her with an equally curious gaze, eyebrow arched. "It wouldn't be much of a date with all our friends bugging us, now would it? You didn't think I forgot, did you?"

Hinata remembered what Naruto had said to her after the invasion, about taking her out for their second date the day she was released from her medical care. She had not thought the blonde would actually go through with it though. Surely, there were more important matters to take care of in such a situation.

'_But then again' _Hinata thought, _'this __**is **__Naruto, the number one surprising shinobi. And he never goes back on his word.'_

A warm smile graced the heiress' lips. "You're right," she replied, simply accepting his offer and enjoying the moment. The couple shared a peaceful lunch together, just talking and catching up. At one point, Hinata rested her head on the shinobi's orange-clad shoulder, relishing the feeling of importance, the sensation of being wanted that Naruto gave her. Even with the entire village in ruins, he would still find the time for her.

* * *

Unfortunately for the lovers, just as Hinata had suspected, there was not much to do for fun in the remains of Konoha.

Currently, the only shinobi able to do anything about the construction effort was Yamato, thanks to his wood jutsu, as the village lacked the supplies and skilled workers to do so the old fashioned way. So, until the construction crew Tsunade had called in from Wave arrived, the citizens of the Hidden Leaf spent their time trying to reclaim what bits of their old lives they could. Once the initial panic had died down and plans had been made regarding the rebuilding of the village and the need for food and shelter, the scramble to find their old possessions began.

Within a few days, many had found where the crumbled ruins of their old dwellings had ended up. Shinobi clans especially made finding the remains of their compounds priority, so as to ensure the salvaging of all surviving clan scrolls and artifacts, lest clan secrets fall into the hands of other ninja. Others searched for lost valuables and heirlooms before word spread to bandits and thieves, who would have surely attempted to take advantage of the situation to make an easy buck. Some hunted for treasured memories, old items, keepsakes and gifts they held close to their heart, so as to bring them some comfort in the midst of this tragedy. Many were happy simply to find spare clothes, so they would not be stuck in the same smelly pair for the following month or so.

Naruto figured Hinata must have some sort of important or special belongings she would most likely wish to recover, so after lunch he had offered to help her find some of her old belongings, claiming he could not let her do something like that alone with her injury. The Hyuuga graciously accepted the offer.

A quick scan of the dining area revealed a group of Hyuuga branch members eating at a table. They were glad to serve the main branch kunoichi, and with some convincing Naruto too, by leading them to the new location of the Hyuuga compound. Currently, the teens were digging through the rubble that once was the Hyuuga main branch house.

Hinata admitted that this was not much of a date, wading through rubble, but they were in a town of nothing but rubble, so she just enjoyed the time spent with her love. Hey, when in Rome, you check out the ruins. **(A/N: totally coining that phrase)**

The heiress tried to look on the positive side. Technically, she had him in her room right now. Well, more like _on_ her room, but that's just semantics. She could have done without the watchful white eyes on them, the Hyuuga preferring to be safe than sorry when making sure no outsiders were attempting to steal clan secrets. The other clansmen would undoubtedly frown on public displays of affection. She was certain the other Hyuuga's must know of their relationship now, as the head giving any boy permission to date an heiress was sure to be big news within the clan. The looks of distaste a few of her older and grumpier kin were shooting them confirmed these suspicions.

'_How could they still dislike Naruto-kun? After all he's done?'_ Hinata kept this question to herself. What one child could have done that could brand him as despised for his whole life by some, even after saving their lives, baffled Hinata. But this was neither the place nor the time; right now she was on a date with her Naruto-kun. She could find out later.

Hinata continued to shovel through the splintered wood of wrecked walls and furniture, along with random chunks of metal and rock that had flowed into the area. She could have used her byakugan and found at least a few of her belongings with much less difficulty, but the nurse had told her to avoid strenuous activity for a few days, and she feared activating her kekkei genkai may cause her to overexert herself and ruin her day with Naruto.

Instead, she simply basked in the time she had with Naruto, his attention on her. In a way, this was sort of like their first date, as the original had really been more like a booty call than anything. While this may not be as exciting as that passionate night, the experience had a different kind of pleasurable feeling to it. Hinata wondered if all their dates would feel like this. _'No,' _she corrected herself. _'Once the village is rebuilt, they'll be even better,'_ she thought with glee.

The two searched the rubble side-by-side, making light conversation. Naruto would always keep his eye on her, and give her a hand lifting the heavier pieces of waste, despite the blue haired ninja claiming she was fine. Still, it was always nice to feel his hand touching hers as they lifted a stone or chunk of wood. A year ago, this kind of contact would have mortified her. But after what they had done together, the pale girl could not even muster a blush at this.

And of course, Naruto was up to his usual antics. "Hey Hinata-chan, I think I found something… Oh my gosh! I think someone is trapped in here!" he said in frantic worry. Hinata brought her hands to her mouth to muffle a gasp, watching with wide eyes as Naruto shovelled the rubble away more swiftly.

"Don't worry Hyuuga-san, I'll save you!" Finally, the blonde sunk his hand into the sea of waste, quickly pulling out…

"Oh no! We were too late!" he cried, anime tears flooding his face as he shook the disembodied head he hugged to his chest.

Hinata pouted in an almost scolding fashion. "Naruto-kun, that's a bust," she said flatly.

The prankster's tears stopped as he peeked an eye open. "Eh? It is?" he asked exaggeratedly, tapping the stone face as he examined it. "Oops, my bad. It's hard to tell; all your relatives are so stiff," he joked sheepishly.

Hinata had to look away and suppress a giggle, but Naruto still caught it. "Naruto-kun, t-that's not f-funny. It's m-mean," she stuttered, not from embarrassment but from supressing a guilty chuckle. It was rude to be making fun of her clan like that, but that did not mean it was not true.

"Hey, I'm just callin 'em like I see 'em. Seriously, I don't know how someone fun like you ever came from a clan of boring stiffs like the Hyuuga. If I hadn't met you, I would've thought they just genetically lacked the muscles they need to smile."

A small smile once again graced her lips at the compliment in his joke, a few giggles once again forcing their way out her throat. Hinata had no idea how cute that giggle was.

"Arigatou," she spoke softly, her boyfriend grinning like an idiot, liking that he could make her laugh. A lot of people did not appreciate his humor.

Hinata put the bust in the box they had brought. It was only slightly cracked; it could probably be restored. She was sure her father would want to keep it.

It was not but a few minutes later that Hinata made a find of her own. Lifting a wooden board, she saw the top of something colorful peeking out. She reached down and pulled it out carefully; apparently it was something soft. Brushing some of the dirt off the item so she could get a better look, one thought crossed her mind. _'Kawaii!'_

It was her old Naruto plushie! She had made it herself when she was thirteen, probably because she had missed the real boy so much after he had left. Sometimes when she was younger, she would use it to practice talking to him once he came back. She had completely forgotten it in her closet after his return.

"You find something, Hinata-chan?"

Said chuunin let out a scared squeak, tossing the doll away before the man it resembled turned his head. "No, nothing," she lied. Naruto did not have to know she had made a stuffed likeness of him.

The clueless shinobi shrugged it off and continued rustling through the ruins. It did not take Hinata long to find another object that was certainly hers…

She pulled yet another item out of the waste. She found it in the same area as the plushie, so she figured it was probably hers too. This item was purple though, and as she gripped it, could tell it was definitely rubbery. She lifted it to eye level to identify her –

"Anything yet?" Naruto asked.

Hinata chucked the item as far away as possible like a live paperbomb. "No, I have not!" she shouted in a panic.

* * *

Hiashi stood proudly by the border of the dunes of rubble that were once his home. The head did not dig through the trash himself; instead he simply oversaw the others' work, taking inventory of any important findings as he was informed of them.

His youngest daughter, Hanabi, stood by his side, because – well, there was literally nothing else to do. Having been trained personally by her father, she had not made many friends. She had only been to the academy once, to take the graduating exam so she could be officially named a kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf, but managed to make the most of it and met a few nice people she soon called friends, including Konohamaru. But he was busy doing the same as her clan over where the Sarutobi compound landed, and her other friends were nowhere to be found today. Her sister was to be released from the medical tent today, but she had yet to see her.

Suddenly, something collided with the young Hyuuga's back. The kunoichi actually winced at the pain; whatever it was, someone had thrown it **hard**. Rubbing the sore spot that would probably become a bruise, she turned around to see what had hit her.

She picked it up with a curious eyebrow raised. She had no idea what this item was, but it sure looked strange. It was purple, and long, with a couple of round attachments dangling from one end.

The girl's stoic face broke as Hanabi suddenly showed her playful, childish side again. "Hey, otou-san!" she beckoned her father. "Look what I found! Doesn't it look funny!"

Hiashi Hyuuga turned around, to see her daughter giggling in fascination, flicking the end of the phallic device and watching as it jiggled back and forth, playing with it as if it were a toy – well, as if it were a _children's_ toy.

The stoic head's eyes widened alarmingly as soon as he realized what his daughter was playing with. His arm reflexively shot out and grabbed the object from her, holding it out of reach – until he realized what **he** was now holding and threw it away, wiping his hands hysterically on his kimono.

"Hanabi, you should not be playing with things like that!" he scolded.

The young Hyuuga just looked at him confused. "Why? What was it?" she asked innocently.

Hiashi froze, wracking his brain for a lie. In the end, "It's a weapon," was the best he could come up with. "It's very dangerous; you should not be handling it so carelessly."

"Really? I've never seen anything like it. And just what kind of weapon is made of rubber?"

"It's just a practice version, obviously," he covered up.

"Eh? Then why is it so dangerous?"

"Listen," her father said with dead seriousness, ignoring her question. He looked her dead in the eye unblinking as he said, "Just promise me if you ever, **ever**, see anyone coming at you with one of those out, you run and you come tell me, ok?"

"Ok," she answered, satisfying the head Hyuuga, though utterly confused by the interaction.

* * *

'_I cannot believe I had to find all the most embarrassing items I own __**right beside Naruto-kun**__!'_ she mentally screamed, walking beside said boy. The two had searched for a while more, actually find quite a few of the heiress' belongings, though not without her having to cover up a couple more embarrassing discoveries. _'I mean, I wouldn't mind if he asked me to use one of – _those_ while I am with him, but to admit I use it myself? And in the middle of the clan?!'_

As red as she was before, she was calm now – well, maybe a _little _bit nervous, but that was a given with the situation.

With only Yamato able to actually construct any buildings at the moment, only a handful had been erected so far. Most of them had been given to civilian families, as shinobi were more accustomed to roughing it. However, as a small token of the village's gratitude, they had given the first to Naruto, who had tried to turn down the offer, but ultimately accepted.

And after the couple had grabbed their dinner rations, he had offered to let her live with him until her home was rebuilt. Naruto had insisted, claiming it would be much better for her with her injury. It was not like the Hyuuga would find out; after all, they were busy with clan matters, and they would not waste their time searching the tens of thousands of tents to find out which one she was sleeping in. It would certainly be better than a tent, and she did not mind her roommate one bit – but still, she would be **living** with him. Sure, he had slept with her in her home, but that was for one night. Now they would be living together indefinitely, she would have her things in his room, once there was a greater abundance of food she would cook for him and eat with him, and – it was almost like they were husband and wife.

She knew this was not the case, but still, it was a big step. It would only be temporary, so Hinata was determined to get over her nerves and enjoy this period of closeness with her beloved as much as possible.

Naruto put down the box with Hinata's things as he reached the door, unlocking and opening it. He gestured for his girlfriend to enter first in a rare display of courtesy, and she entered his – _their_ new dwelling place.

It was no mansion. In fact, it was another apartment, though definitely leaps and bounds above the old run-down one he used to live in. Sure, they did not give him his own house, but still, the act of putting him before the tens of thousands of others who still needed to be housed was very generous.

She looked around. It was very empty, with only the most basic furnishings like a table and chairs, and no appliances or decorations. She walked through the living room and dining room, opening the door to the third room, the bedroom. It contained a bed, nightstand and dresser, with a few odd items that Naruto must have retrieved for himself being the only proof that anyone lived there.

Her boyfriend followed her in, dropping the box in the center of the room. "You can put your stuff wherever you'd like, I've got plenty of space."

The blonde sat on the bed watching her as she unpacked, both unsure of what exactly to say. The silence was short-lived though, as Hinata simply put the clothes she had found in an empty dresser drawer, reminding herself to figure out where she could wash those tomorrow. The rest she left in the box, picking it up and putting it away in the closet. She could sort out the rest tomorrow; it was late, and both parties were tired from a long day.

Naruto, realizing they both had sleep on the mind, scratched his head nervously. "Uh… You can take the bed, I'll go try to grab an extra sleeping bag fo –"

"Don't be silly," Hinata cut in, voice quiet but steady. "After what we've done, we should be able to sleep together again, ne?"

She had a point. Though he hated, absolutely **loathed** to admit it, the Kyuubi had a point too back in Myoboku. He still acted like a complete virgin. So he nut up and nodded his head, affirming that they should be fine sleeping together.

Hinata formed a small smile and walked up to the bed. Since she had no nightwear, Hinata simply removed her shirt and pants as she approached, leaving her in only her pale blue panties and bra. Naruto's nose was threatening to overflow at the sight, so he looked away, following suit until he was only in his black short-sleeved shirt and boxers.

The lovers got under the covers, which Naruto was both grateful for and despised, as Hinata's nearly naked form was now covered.

"Goodnight, Naruto-kun," she said lovingly, looking into his sapphire orbs, as bright as the boy, even in the dark.

"Goodnight, Hinata-chan," he replied, both lying with a few inches between them. The blonde closed his eyes, only for them to shoot open as Hinata's voice broke the silence again.

"Are you… still going to be here when I wake up?" she asked weakly, the hurt in her voice evident.

"Yes, of course!" he reassured as firmly as he could. "It's my house, after all," he joked with his usual goofy grin. But it did not get its intended reaction. He looked back at his girlfriend, barely making out in the dark the tears threatening to fall from her lavender pearls.

"Hinata," he began in a soft, apologetic tone, "I'm sorry. I already told you, it was a misunderstanding. I never would have left you if I hadn't thought you didn't want me anymore."

This did nothing to cheer Hinata up. "I cannot believe you would think that. We were friends – before you asked me out, I thought we were really c-close friends… I thought you could trust me, like I trusted you… How could you even think I would ever be so cold to you!" She began raising her voice in a mixture of sorrow and anger.

"It's not like that! It's just – I –"

"I missed you, you know," she interrupted in a softer, more reminiscent tone. "I thought about you every day. Did you miss me at all?" Naruto wanted to speak up, to let her know she was not the only one, that he was completely miserable with his mistake too, but she gave him no chance to do so.

"I loved you, for so long… And then I finally got your attention… But you just left! You left me, and you wouldn't even say it to my face! Was I not even worthy of an explanation!" she cried. "I was left, the entire time wondering: what did I do wrong? I thought I had finally done something right, but then in one night, I thought I had already ruined it… It was hard, living without you after it. At least we were friends before, but you just stopped seeing me altogether. I had to go without your smile, your encouragement, the happiness that just seems to follow you… Not to mention completely starving my body…" Naruto's eyes opened wide at the turn the conversation was beginning to take.

Hinata's shaky voice had gradually calmed, but now there was a hint of something else in there, a growing hint of longing. "Even though the morning after was awful… That was probably the best night of my life…" Naruto could not help the tent that began growing as memories of that night overwhelmed his rational thoughts, grateful for the distance between them. "And I had wanted to have more like that..." Unconsciously, both teens were inching towards each other, refusing to break eye contact. "I finally got what my body craved, but it did not stop there… But you were not there to help me… I had to go back to pleasuring myself, but no matter how vivid my memories of that night were… It would never feel the same… I wanted to have you again… So… bad…"

Her last few words were little more than breaths, and the lovers were nearly touching. Naruto's rational thoughts were being overwhelmed with desire, and he closed his eyes, closing the final gap between them.

"I'm still mad at you, you know," she whispered out, with what Naruto could have sworn was a playful tone.

When his lips met nothing but air and he heard her breathy statement, he peeked one eye open. To his surprise and disappointment, Hinata now lied facing the other way, showing no intention of carrying on the conversation or anything else.

Naruto tried to steady his breathing, silently pleading his throbbing member to stand down as he tried to put – whatever had just happened out of his mind. Sleep was not coming easy anymore.

If the blonde had been able to see the nearly-sleeping Hyuuga's face, he would have noticed that she was smirking to herself. In all honesty, her being mad was only a small part of her holding out on her lover. The real reason was that with her injury, she did not feel like she would be able to last a round of lovemaking without overexerting herself. Otherwise, she would be finding far more _interesting_ ways for her sexy hero to atone for his mistakes.

Some would call this kind of teasing cruel, but she wouldn't exactly call it _teasing_ – more like _motivating_. If she had to suffer, he had to suffer too. Get a taste of how she felt. But hey, if this _motivating_ meant he was ready and anxious to screw her brains out at the first opportunity she gave him, then everybody wins, right?

* * *

**A/N: HA! I still got it! I am still the master of tease! Don't lie, you guys got excited for a second there, didn't you? Naruto knows how you feels. ;) Sorry, but no lemons this chap. I hope you enjoyed – buuut I have a feeling some people are going to dislike some of the things I've done. I don't know where it comes from, maybe it's genius, maybe it's sleep deprivation, maybe its Maybelene. **

**Anyway, I managed to take Sasugay's virginity away (NO! NOT LIKE THAT!), get team NaruHina on another date, AND living in another roof, and Hanabi's gotten her first glimpse of the male anatomy from a big, purple dildo. Yes, a big, purple dildo. In case I was too subtle in the chap – it was a dildo. Why purple specifically? My friend used to have a purple one. He got it as a gag gift. And who can forget Hiashi's talk with Naruto! **

**FOLLOW/FAVE/REVIEW/GO GRAB A LATE SLIP! **


	19. Chapter 16: Finally, Some Action!

**A/N: Yo! Imma back! Sorry it's been a while, hopefully this chapter is good enough to make up for it. I've been having a harder time forcing myself through my (currently undiagnosed) A.D.D. to write long enough to make progress. Plus shit's been getting complicated with the strike at my school and stuff. I've put a lot of thought into this series tho, and I'm gonna be upping the anti with the plot from here on (…if there was any to begin with, lol). Be sure to tell me if you like where the series is going!**

**Disclaimer: Ok, so I googled some copyright law… Basically, a copyright expires 70 years after the death of the author/creator, and then the work will become public domain, meaning its free for everyone to use… So, all we have to do is hire a hitman (I'll give a link for my kickstarter) to off Kishimoto, wait 70 years, and then we can ALL own Naruto! :D**

"Speech"

'_Thoughts'_

'_**Kyuubi Thoughts' **_**/ "Kyuubi Speech in Mindscape"**

* * *

Morale was high in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Though the populace was still just getting back on their feet, hope and optimism radiated from the area. The spirit of camaraderie was at an all-time high as shinobi and civilian, young and old, rich and poor, all came together to rebuild their home.

The construction crew had arrived with haste, bearing a few wagons full of materials, with more to come. With this, Yamato finally got a break, and the real work could begin. It did not take long to organize the project. Layouts and blueprints for the new Konoha had been drawn up while the workers were still travelling. People were quickly being directed around the site, told where to go, and what should be built where.

It was not just the crew from Wave that put in all the work. Everyone was helping in what way they could. Any able-bodied citizens with construction or architectural experience were immediately recruited to assist the contracted workers. Ninjas were of great usefulness too, with earth-style users levelling the ground, water-style users currently setting up a hotspring in the east end of town, Yamato was still at work speedily restoring the greenery to village parks and forests, and those without any relevant speciality were busting their asses as gofors, hauling materials and tools to and from worksites. At any one moment, the hero of the leaf, Naruto Uzumaki, could be found in at least a dozen separate streets, hands full of wooden planks, bricks, or various other building materials. During the day, the entire village was hard at work, with the sun in their face and sweat on their brow.

And during the night, the tired people would return to their homes or tents and rest. At least, everyone except a certain restless knucklehead…

Naruto was currently sprawled on his bed, stretching his aching joints. He was waiting for his turn in the shower while his loving girlfriend cleaned herself. With all the work going into Konoha's reconstruction efforts, the couple hardly saw each other during the day. That is why Naruto enjoyed having her live with him so much, as the nights were the only times they really got to be together for the time being. He cherished the nights they spent together – but also loathed them…

The bathroom door opened, drawing the blonde's attention to the image of his girlfriend in a damp towel. It snuggly hugged her breasts, pressing the poorly hidden mounds together and teasing him with just a hint of cleavage. The piece of fabric was barely long enough for the girl, reaching just to mid-thigh, threatening to ride up much further with every step she took.

"Sorry, I forgot to bring in a pair of clean clothes with me," the personification of temptation spoke. It was all Naruto could do to not openly drool as his girlfriend scuttled towards the dresser. He did, however, unconsciously lean in as she bent over to open the drawer, the end of her towel languidly climbing the back of her shapely thighs, revealing more of the glistening creamy skin, slowly rising until the boy could practically see her –

Naruto bolted to the bathroom with unrivaled speed and shut the door – locking it just to be sure. He leaned against the door, panting, trying to calm his frenzied heart. The boy had lost his parents at birth, been completely abandoned by everyone else, went through possibly the most traumatizing childhood ever lived, been burdened with the world's greatest power: a demon which often invaded his own consciousness, and entered the most demanding and dangerous profession – and **now** he was going to lose his sanity because of a smoking hot kunoichi prone to spurts of indecency! She was driving him crazy!

Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad – if she was willing to give him any sort of _relief_. Their relationship was running fairly smoothly, but Hinata had made it clear that she was not in the mood for any sort of intimate encounters like on their first date. After what had happened that time, he could not blame her for not being interested in going that far again. Still, it was just so damned hard to respect her wishes when she was practically screaming 'take me!' with all this teasing! The jinchuuriki was ashamed to say he had come close to just losing it and pouncing on her a few times since they began living together.

Naruto finally reigned in his lust, and stepped towards the vacant shower – only to catch Hinata's pile of worn clothes in the corner of his eye, her panties and bra strategically placed on top.

He didn't know why, but Naruto had the strangest urge to take a wiff of the discarded underwear.

'_No! Dammit, I'm turning into ero-sennin.'_

Shaking his head, the frustrated teen entered his shower and turned he knob all the way to maximum cold.

* * *

Hinata could not help but feel a little bad. She knew what she was doing to Naruto; his reactions made it painfully obvious how much affect her actions had. However, she also felt a little worse because a part of her enjoyed it. After being ignored so long, to be able to turn him on like a switch at will – it was really satisfying. Empowering, even.

The heiress pushed these feelings aside for now, keeping her end game in mind. As soon as she was at full strength, which according to the doctor from her last checkup would be in two more days, she would be sure to pay him back in full for the torture.

The girl was nearly giddy to see the results of her work. When she would catch the look in his eye after giving him a particularly enticing show, his gaze was suffocating. Intense. Demanding. Hungry. She wanted to moan just thinking about it. Soon, she would have him show her every dirty deed he was imagining.

And hopefully, he would not ever leave her wanting again.

* * *

The merciless sun beat down on the workers in the Leaf village. The clang of hammers became a natural part of the scenery, the noise almost nonexistent to the men so accustomed to it. Dirt roads held heaps of wood and metal, and many constructs which were gradually coming to resemble houses. These roads were also occupied by busied shinobi carrying bundles of varying content.

Though the shinobi probably had at least forty clones spread throughout the town, Kakashi knew this particular one was the real Naruto.

"Yo, Naruto!" Kakashi called.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei."

The jounin quirked an eyebrow as the blonde slowed down so he could catch up. "Is something wrong, Naruto?" he asked, now walking beside his student, "Or is the work just getting to you?"

Due to Kakashi's sharpened perceptive skills, he was able to notice the frustration hidden behind the boy's greeting. Paying closer attention, he also noted the way Naruto carried himself was much more tense and stiff than usual. Not to mention the light rings around his eyes; an indication he was not getting a proper amount of sleep.

"Everything's fine, Kakashi-sensei. But now that you mention it, all this labour is just like my rookie year all over again."

"Yeah, but the sooner we get this village rebuilt the sooner we can get back to our usual missions. You know Tsunade has been minimizing missions until then to keep as many shinobi here as possible in case something else happens. Last I heard, she had only accepted two urgent missions from the Daimyo himself since the attack."

Naruto reluctantly nodded his head in understanding. "Besides, you're the last person who should be complaining about anything. Some of us are still sleeping in tents you know."

"I know, I know."

"So… How're you enjoying living with your new roommate?" Kakashi asked with no lack of mirth. He nearly laughed as the blonde all but froze on the spot.

"How did you find out about that?"

"Oh, you know. I see things, around, and stuff," the silver-haired ninja teased, acting casual.

Naruto sighed. "Can't I ever just have a secret?"

Kakashi chuckled. He was about to answer when Naruto suddenly winced, his loss of attention causing him to drop a rather heavy metal pipe on his foot.

"Shit! Itai! Itaaaaiiiii!"

The sharingan wielder worriedly rushed the boy, now hopping with his injured foot in hand, to the side of a completed building and seated him with his back against the wall.

"Naruto, are you ok?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine," the blonde said in a strained grunt. "I don't think I broke anything; it should just take a few minutes to heal."

"What was that about?"

"Sorry, I sorta zoned out for a second there. Just got the memory of one of my stupid clones dropping some planks on his foot."

Kakashi slid down beside the boy with his finger on his masked chin. "Hm… I wonder if you would call that déjà vu or irony."

"I just call it painful," Naruto stated unamused.

"You still haven't answered my question. How are things going with you and Hinata living together?"

Damn. Naruto was hoping he would forget about that. Why was everyone so nosy?

Naruto all but groaned out his answer, betraying his frustration. "It's nice. I'm really enjoying it, but –" It just slipped out. The blonde barely caught himself before he said too much. Kakashi's eyebrow rose.

"But?"

Shit. What was Naruto supposed to tell him? 'Oh, everything's fine, except everything she does gets me so hard I think I might just bend her over my table and turn her womb into a water-balloon of sperm if she doesn't put out soon?'

No, if he said something as ungentlemanly and graphic as that and Hiashi – or Neji – or Kiba and Shino – or just about any of the girls – found out, they would hunt him down and turn his ballsack into a pelt.

Then again, if anyone could give him advice on this issue, it would be his sensei. Sure, he had not exactly given the best advice last time the boy turned to him – but that was about _feelings_; this was an issue only Jiraiya himself would have been more familiar with!

Naruto gave it a _'What the hell!'_, hung his head and sighed. "… But I think I'm turning into a super pervert."

The jinchuuriki was met by a response he did not expect. "I knew it would happen," Kakashi all but cheered in amusement.

Naruto was a bit perplexed, but mostly offended. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean!"

"Just that it was bound to happen. You see, you come from a long line of perverted teachers and students," Kakashi informed, eye smiling the entire time.

"Are you serious? You can **catch** pervert?!"

"There are far worse things you could catch, you know." Kakashi paused, looking sheepish. "…Unfortunately, perverts do tend to catch a lot of them… Make sure to always use protection," the cyclops warned.

Naruto was panicking now. "Come on! Don't talk like that! There's gotta be something I can do to stop it, right? Right!?"

The blonde grew grim as the jounin shook his head. "No, there's nothing you can do. If anything, you got a double dose being taught by both myself and Jiraiya-sama. I wouldn't be surprised if you became the most perverted of us all."

Naruto was hanging his head and groaning in despair. _'I'm screwed,'_ he lamented, remembering his nightmare where he became the pervy sage.

"I don't want to become one of you," he muttered. "I don't want to become one of you," he chanted.

"You shouldn't be so ashamed of it," the copycat nin tried to cheer his student up, "You'll be joining the ranks of some of the greatest shinobi of the Leaf."

Naruto raised his head. "Oh yeah? Who was your sensei?" he asked, rather unenthused.

"Well, I was taught by Minato."

"Nani?!" Naruto shouted. "You were taught by the fourth?!"

"Yep," Kakashi causually replied.

"And you're saying…"

"Have you ever read Jiraiya's first book, 'Tale of a Gutsy Ninja'?" The shocked jinchuuriki nodded. "Ever wonder why he made such a big leap in style from that with Icha Icha?"

"No," Naruto denied unbelievingly.

"Let's just say, he and Minato were discussing the book, and Minato felt that the kiss scene in chapter eighteen was lacking a bit of… _passion_. Jiraiya agreed, they talked about some things I was too young to understand, Jiraiya started writing a bunch of ideas down, and next thing you know, Jiraiya was a bestselling author."

This news had rather adverse effects, only dampening Naruto's mood. _'Great. I finally find out who my father is, and the first thing I find out about him other than his legacy as Hokage is that he was another goddamn pervert.'_

"And he was taught by ero-sennin, right?" Naruto supplied. The old sanin had often bragged about that fact – especially in the company of women.

"Correct. And Jiraiya was taught by the Sandaime."

"No way! You mean the old man –"

"I know for a fact he was hoping to see your Oiroke no justu make an appearance in the chunin exams."

"I'm doomed," the pervert-in-the-making cried, resisting the urge to feel proud he had created a technique that could have floored a Hokage – probably two of them.

"Calm down, Naruto. I know Jiraiya was not the best example –"

"Or yourself," Naruto tagged on.

"Hey!" an offended Kakashi began, "What have I ever done that was so bad?

"Well, you go around town reading porn, for one thing."

"So what? All my perverse nature has ever done to me is give me a taste for literature. That's a good thing! Too few people read nowadays, and it really isn't good for developing creativity or learning capability. I believe you'll find a little reading goes a long way. As I was saying, I know Jiraiya-sama was not the best example of healthy perversity, as it often led to invasions of privacy, but if you exercise some respect and responsibility, being a pervert doesn't have to make you a bad person."

As Naruto digested this, a knowing smirk formed on Kakashi's face, hidden behind the mask. "For example, like when your partner is also a pervert." The white-haired man had to hold in a chuckle at Naruto's lame attempt to hide his flustered reaction to this, no doubt remembering his first date with the Hyuuga heiress. "Trust me when I say, mutual perversity can be one of the most enjoyable things there is."

The orange-clad genin's eyes narrowed. "Who says Hinata's a pervert?" he questioned.

Kakashi looked off in the distance, innocently saying, "I never said she was." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Then again… She _did_ get you Icha Icha for your birthday…" he recalled.

"What if… What if your partner doesn't wanna do anything perverted?" The teen couldn't help but blush and look away as he hinted at his current situation.

Kakashi shrugged. "Well, with two hormonal teenagers living under the same roof, such situations and urges are to be expected. As long as you don't force Hinata into anything she doesn't want to do, I'm sure she'll forgive you. "

On that note the cyclops got up and went back to work, leaving Nartuo to think on the man's words. After a minute, the boy tested his foot, and finding it relatively ok, continued his own job.

* * *

"Hey, it's time for your lunchbreak!" a young woman with wavy, auburn hair called out.

"Hai, arigatou," Hinata responded from the kitchen. She placed one last tray on the counter to be given to the next customer, and then grabbed one for herself as she undid the apron around her waist.

With her temporary inability to perform any heavy lifting, Hinata could not help with the town's construction like the other shinobi. So instead, she had volunteered at the kitchen, feeding the hungry townspeople.

It was not as hard as the work the others were doing, but it still gave her a sense of accomplishment knowing she was helping in what way she could. The work was repetitive and tedious, but she managed to make it through the day by chatting with some of the other women working there. There were a few near her own age, though many were older, but all were plenty friendly and eager to converse.

The younger girls were especially talkative. Surprisingly enough, the topic that seemed to come up the most was Naruto. A lot of the younger Konoha girls wanted to know what it was like dating the 'Hero of the Leaf', as he had been dubbed. A few even acted somewhat jealous, even if they did try to hide it. The Hyuuga tried to shy away from the topic as much as she could, feeling a little uncomfortable sharing details about her love life with people she barely knew. It was just that some of the more gossipy volunteers would sometimes pry a little too much, and Hinata did not want to answer such embarrassing questions.

As the blue haired kunoichi scouted the tables for some familiar faces, she was happy to see her sensei Kurenai. However, her smile retreated slightly at the sight of who she was with.

Anko.

Now, Hinata did not hate the purple-haired jonin, but neither was she too fond of her. The kind-hearted heiress was not one to judge, especially someone she had only seen a handful of times, but the older kunoichi had not left the greatest impression.

The first time they had met was her first attempt at the chuunin exams, where she was the proctor for the second test. The previous proctor had made it obvious that intimidating the contestants was part of the job, but quite frankly, the woman had come off as a bit crazy. Not to mention she had hurt Naruto.

The last time that their paths had crossed, Anko had completely embarrassed her in public, asking her to become a seductress and carelessly blabbing about her and Naruto's recent hooking up.

Still, the pupiless girl took a seat beside her teacher with a gleeful smile and a warm greeting.

"Oh, Hinata! How are you; I haven't seen you in a while."

"My recovery is nearly complete, and other than that, everything is quite good."

"So where have you been hiding all this time?"

"I have been volunteering at the kitchen here. I just got off for my lunch break."

"Oh really? Guess what – Kazehana's café has just been finished, and she should hopefully be able to open again soon. The next time we both have some free time we should stop by for a bite. I know how much you like her cinnamon bites!"

"I would enjoy that very much sensei."

Before she becomes too enveloped in her conversation with her team leader and forgets, Hinata turns to Anko and gives a polite bow of her head. "Good afternoon, Anko-san."

"How's it goin, girlie? How's Mr. Hero been treating ya?" she responds with an insinuative wiggle of her eyebrows and a smirk.

Normally the shy heiress would blush and stammer out an embarrassed response to such a question, but she holds back after remembering the mystery that has been stuck in her head since her first conversation with her boyfriend in the medical tent.

"I've been well." She ignored the jonin's second question, and instead posed her own. "Actually, I've been wondering… How exactly did you hear of Naruto and mine's relationship?"

In normal Anko fashion, the snake lady answered bluntly and thoughtlessly. "Down at this bar, we all had a pool goin on when the gaki would finally stick his noodle in your ramen bowl."

Anko sighed; the innuendo seemed to go over the girl's head. "We were all betting on when you two would fuck," she politely reiterated.

Red-faced, Hinata's mouth gaped in a terrified shock.

"What? The pool's done, so it doesn't matter if we tell them now; does it?"

The mortified girl turned to her sensei as Anko said this, to catch the woman making a 'cut it out' throat-slicing gesture behind her back. Kurenai jerked the hand behind her head and looked away nonchalantly as her student turned.

"Kurenai-sensei, you knew about this?!"

Knowing she was caught, Kurenai said the only thing she could. "I supported you all the way," she reassured nervously, offering a crooked smile and a lame thumbs-up. "I knew you could do it!"

Her sensei's unconvincing words and weak chuckle did nothing to soften the Hyuuga's disapproving glare, as cold and sharp as the rest of her clan's.

Knowing there was still a piece of the puzzle missing, Hinata turned to Anko, as she obviously could not care less for discretion on the matter. It was ironic really, that someone from the Torture and Interrogation Department would have such loose lips. But she supposed the woman's job was to find out secrets, not keep them.

"But how exactly were you so sure you would know when we… fu… f-f-fu… did it?" The girl had trouble saying such a lewd word to her elder, who was nearly a stranger at that.

Sipping at her drink, Anko simply answered, "Easy. We had ANBU tailing you guys til it happened."

No one was sure which would happen first; Hinata passing out from the complete relocation of all her blood to her face, or her eyes bursting out of her sockets. Seeing her undisguised fear and embarrassment, Anko tried to calm her.

"Don't worry about them. I doubt they actually stuck around for the show. Trust me, just about every ninja that makes it into the ANBU is a bigger prude than your own clansmen – except for the Hyuuga ANBU, they're even more wound up."

Great. Just what Hinata wanted to think about right now. The possibility of one of her **family** watching her ride her boyfriend.

"Trust me, you don't know the razzing that team has been getting since their mission. The other ANBU call them the 'Voyeur Division'. Or V.D. for short." Anko snickered.

'_Deep, calming breaths. Deep, calming breaths.'_ Hinata drilled through the advice of the nurses from years ago. She was on a two-year streak; she was not fainting now.

Collecting herself, the teen decided to express her disapproval of this mass invasion of privacy by turning the tables on the crude kunoichi.

"So what you are telling me," she began, donning the cold, emotionless mask inherited from her clan, "Is that you coaxed a team of ANBU black ops out of their duties to invade two innocent citizens' privacy," – she stressed this point – "all to facilitate an organized gambling operation? Not only was that a total misuse of important village resources, but illegal gambling is a serious offence by itself. I am sure the Hokage would not –"

"Pfft," Anko interrupted. "Nice try, princess. Don't bother threatening me with all that 'I'll blab to the Hokage' crap. Who do you think organised the whole thing?"

Anko smirked as Hinata's face turned incredulous once more. "You can't be saying that –"

"Girl – the legendary sucker is stuck in a town with no casinos. Two people can't bet on how long it will take paint to dry without her getting in on the action."

* * *

**In the Hokage Tower**

The Hokage Tower was nearly complete. The town's centre of authority had been built to be as close to the original as possible; a symbol for the villagers of the town's gradual return to its former glory. At the moment, the interior was being refurnished and restocked with every document, tool and artifact that had been recovered. Four men walked past Tsunade, bearing the weight of the new desk the woman would soon spend most of her waking hours sitting behind.

The Senju oversaw the work, making sure everything was to her liking. Her lip tugged upward appreciatively, followed by a generous swig of her sake.

"The entire village is a construction site, over a third of the population is still living in tents, with the damage to our security we are more vulnerable than ever to another attack, and with nearly all of our ninjas pulled out of duty it will take us months to pay off the village's debt. How can you drink at a time like this?"

The Godaime grumbled as she turned to her apprentice, who had just entered the room.

"Shizune." Tsunade levelled her with a serious stare. "The entire village is a construction site, over a third of our population is living in tents, with the damage to our security we are more vulnerable than ever to another attack, and we have accrued more debt than I managed to during all my years away from the village. How can I **not** drink at a time like this?"

Shizune sighed exasperatedly. "You're hopeless. I bet you couldn't even go a single day without drinking."

"Two hundred ryo says I can," the Sanin challenged reflexively.

Shizune looked back at her with a 'you've gotta be kidding me' look. "You're on."

Tsunade smirked, and went for another swig of her favoured drink – but froze as she realized the consequences of what she had just carelessly said.

Tsunade started worrying. She was caught between her two vices: drinking and gambling. What was she to do? Lose her money, or her buzz? Never before had she dealt with this great a dilemma before. There was only one way Tsunade knew to clear her mind to find a solution for this problem.

So she chugged the remainder of her alcohol.

Shizune wordlessly stuck out her hand, not bothering wasting her breath to make a comment. Her sensei dug into her pocket and handed over her money just as silently.

The slug sanin was used to the sobering sting of losing, but the sobering sting of sobriety was an obstacle she would forever avoid.

* * *

**Back With Hinata**

"Did my… Father know about this?"

"Yeah, he found out," Anko responded sorely.

Hinata smirked. _'I am sure at least __**he**__ gave them all what they had coming.'_

"The lucky bastard won the pool."

And with that, Hinata's smirk was gone as the heiress attempted to make sense of that sentence. Her head was overheating on the inside as much as her red cheeks were on the outside.

Her father… Gambling… Hiashi Hyuuga… On her losing her... her…

Hinata stood up to leave. So far, she was not liking any of the answers she had gotten. Apparently half the village had been betting on when her and Naruto would do the do – which meant that dozens of strangers had known not only of her crush, but also of her seduction attempts before the boy himself figured it out. And worse, there had been a team of shinobi spying on them, watching every pathetically failed attempt – and worst of all, the successful one… And there was almost nothing she could do about it, because the head of the village was the one responsible for it. On top of that, her **father** had somehow gotten in on it! Hinata was not yet sure what to make of that, but she was going to remember it for later... It just might prove to be valuable information…

* * *

"Tadaima," Naruto called smiling.

"Okaeri," came the response. No matter how many times he heard it, it would never get old. Just the sensation of actually having someone to come home to was worth the maddening torment that person was dealing him.

Speaking of which…

Naruto followed his girlfriend's voice to the kitchen to find her in front of the stove. Pots and pans were on the burners, and dirty bowls and cutting boards cluttered the counter.

"Whatcha doin, Hinata-chan?"

"What does it look like? I'm cooking, silly," Hinata answered playfully. "They reopened the grocery store down the street today, so I figured I'd make us something special tonight. If only I could get that pesky ginger…"

Naruto was stuck in a trance. While the jinchuuriki was no longer the pipsqueak he was when he was younger, he was by no means a particularly tall man. He was about average height for a sixteen year old, while Hinata stood a full head shorter than him. Which was why she was struggling to reach the very top shelf of Naruto's cabinet, where the jar of ginger was stored.

What had Naruto transfixed was that while his girlfriend hopped repeatedly, arm outstretched, in an attempt to reach the elusive spice, her breasts jumped with her as well. The blonde was captivated by the gelatinous globes, swinging up and down, jiggling to a gradual stop. The fact that her back was stretched out to reach further only made her boobs more pronounced.

Naruto was so distracted by the tantalising sight that he completely forgot the average ninja can jump nearly twenty feet high, not to mention walk up walls. Nor did he wonder how or why the ginger ended up on the top shelf anyway.

"Nng… Could you give me a boost, Naruto-kun? Naruto?"

"Huh?" Naruto asked as his mind returned from its graphic fantasies. "Oh! Yeah, no problem."

The Uzumaki walked up behind Hinata, holding her by her soft, curvy waist, and hoisted her up – perhaps a bit too far up, as he became painfully aware of the fact that she was wearing a skirt today.

…And baby blue cotton panties…

But he was a gentleman, so he **definitely** did not stare.

…And he **definitely** did not take a silent sniff before letting her down…

Even he still didn't understand that one. Maybe the sniffing was a fox thing? Did the kyuubi have that kind of effect on his senses? Meh, whatever.

"Thank you baby," Hinata chirped cheerfully. She gave him a peck on the lips for his help.

"You're welcome, gorgeous." Hinata smirked flirtatiously at the flattery. She loved receiving compliments like that from her beloved. Naruto went in for another kiss, their lips meeting in a sweet gesture of love.

Or at least it started like that. Innocent, gentle, playful. But in a bold move, Naruto decided to deepen it.

He put his hands on her hips again, his girlfriend's moving around his neck in response. The kiss became heavier, their mouths moving rhythmically to the beats of their hearts. The whole time, Naruto kept his conversation with his sensei in mind. _'It's ok… I just want my girlfriend; is that so wrong? I mean, she's so hot, how can I __**not**__ think about her… _like that_ all the time? I might be a pervert – but only for you, Hinata. I'll just… I'll just start like this, and see where it goes… Please don't hate me, Hinata.'_

The horny shinobi slowly brought their bodies closer, surprising Hinata by taking her lower lip in his, nibbling on it lightly before returning it.

Hinata was anything but hating her love right now for this unexpected boldness. She was practically melting into him. With their bodies pressed close, she could feel his lower anatomy reacting to her, and it only served to make her want more. The only thing keeping her clothes on was the worry that if she let him get her in bed, the next bed she could end up in could be a hospital bed, with a very embarrassing explanation to give – and that would only serve to delay their second time together further.

'_Just one more day. Just one more day,'_ she mentally chanted in attempts to keep her cool. The girl had even forgotten the dinner she was cooking for them, not caring if it burned or not. She did not even notice that the pair were moving until her back touched the counter.

She had her back against the counter, trapped in her love's possessive arms, her mouth under sensual assault by a probing tongue trying to pry its way in. She had to distract him; it was her only chance. Her entire body was yelling at her to just surrender, and she would submit like an animal in heat if he continued to press further.

Mustering her willpower, she ended the kiss, gently pushing off his chest to get a bit of space. "I found out how everyone knew!" she blurted a bit more urgently than she had meant to. It was effective though, as she succeeded in grabbing the hyperactive ninja's attention.

"How everyone knew what?" he asked confusedly. He tried to catch his breath, cursing in his head. _'Dammit! She still won't gimme a break! Kami, I don't think I'm gonna be able to sleep tonight, I just can't stop thinking about… Dammit! Well… At least she's not upset with me.'_

"I found out how everyone heard about our – _first date_."

Naruto rose an eyebrow and urged the lavender-eyed kunoichi to explain. She had finally managed to take his mind off of sex – at least for a little while.

Hinata proceeded to inform Naruto of her conversation with Anko at lunch. With each detail, Naruto grew more embarrassed and irritated. By the end, he was irate. He was focused solely on the disturbing revelation as Hinata served their dinner, and they ate and completed their nightly routine without another tempting incident.

* * *

Hinata was excited tonight. She had gone to her final checkup with her doctor, who had confirmed that her injuries were completely gone, giving her the go-ahead to return to the full duties of a ninja. This meant that tomorrow, rather than volunteering at the kitchen, she would be more directly aiding the reconstruction effort like the other kunoichi.

However, this was not what had the giddy heiress burning with anticipation. With the fear of hurting herself removed, Hinata was eager to resume the more physical aspect of her relationship with Naruto. Yesterday's intense makeout session gave her a reminder of just how much she had missed that. In all truth, Hinata had been starting to get lost in her sly teasing games. It was a rush in itself; the lustful stares and barely disguised need making her feel so desired, like much of the mental satisfaction of her first time without the physical euphoria. But she wanted the full experience again.

Naruto's frisky behaviour caught the Hyuuga off-guard. He usually acted so controlled and hesitant, but yesterday he just let his desire guide him. It made Hinata wet just thinking about it, about how far he would have gone if she had not stopped him.

Well, tonight she was about to find out. She was showered, her hair brushed neatly, and she wore her favourite lavender tank top and a pair of navy shorts. She made sure she was looking her best and fully prepared for a night of passion. She might have worn lingerie for the occasion, but there were no lingerie stores in the Leaf yet. Perhaps she should talk to the Hokage about prioritizing that; it would certainly boost morale.

No matter; there would be time for such matters later. Right now, all that mattered were the needs of her and the shinobi that should be arriving at any moment. _'Oooh, I can't wait any longer… I hope he is still as eager as yesterday. I can tell he has been wanting this badly too. I hope he is not upset with me for teasing him so much… What if he punishes me?' _Naughty images of her lover spanking her bare ass until she apologised and toying with her body until she begged flashed through her mind.

With every minute spent lost in her own depraved imagination her anticipation grew tenfold. Horny and excited, she patiently waited for her boyfriend to return.

…And waited…

…And waited…

Minutes turned into hours, though it was tough for Hinata to tell in her impatient state. At first she was frustrated, cursing the untimely occurrence, suspecting it was karmic retribution for how crazy she has been driving Naruto since moving in. But then that frustration turned to worry. It was very unusual for him to be out so late, what if something happened? Just where was her Naruto and what was he doing?

* * *

**Elsewhere in Konoha**

After construction had ceased for the day, and all the other inhabitants had gone back to their own dwellings to rest, one lone shinobi stalked in the night. He snuck through new streets, avoiding detection from any of the patrolling village guards. Ducking behind piles of wood and brick, inside craters and rubble, the ninja abandoned his usual flair and boldness for stealth and secrecy.

Ensuring the coast was clear, under the cover of the night he picked the lock of the door to his destination. Silently entering, he confirmed the house was empty, as expected. The trespasser knew his target would not be returning until much later.

He roamed the halls, still on high alert. He checked door after door to find the room he was searching for. On the third try, he came upon the bedroom. Success close in sight, he went straight towards the sole piece of furniture on the left side of the room.

Pulling on a maple knob, he opened it up. Inside were a number of robes of green and grey; the perpetrator was staring into the wardrobe of the Hokage.

Naruto smirked sinisterly. _'Baa-chan's about to learn what it feels like to have everyone seeing things they shouldn't be.'_

* * *

Hinata had been waiting far too long. She had already fixed herself a light snack, and was currently tidying the living room to take her mind off of Naruto's absence. She nearly jumped when she heard the door open.

"Naruto-kun, are you alright? What took you so long?" Hinata rushed to the door and wrapped her love in a relieved hug before he could barely shut the door.

The orange-clad shinobi was touched that Hinata had been concerned for him, and a little guilty for worrying her. "Sorry I'm late. Don't worry; I just got a little sidetracked."

Hinata's lavender eyes could see right through him. He had that look of feigned nonchalance with a little too much mirth that she could still recognize. It was the expression he would always wear when he was covering up a prank.

She decided against asking into it. _'I just hope he didn't do anything that will get him into trouble.'_

"Next time just let me know when you're going to be _sidetracked_ for that long."

Naruto chuckled guiltily. Sounds like he's been caught. "Alright, I will babe."

Hinata welcomed him by planting a tender kiss on his lips, which he gladly accepted. And just like the previous night, it lasted longer than it normally would have. Naruto could not help but prolong the meeting of their lips. It was scary how hard it was becoming to reign himself in since giving in to his body's demands last night, and scarier still, he really did not want to.

Hinata rested her arms around his neck and the two pulled each other closer. Even through their clothes, the feeling of Hinata's fit body against his lit a fire in Naruto's belly. He slipped in his tongue, caressing hers possessively.

'_It's no big deal,'_ he kept reminding himself, trying to silence the tiny voice in his head still trying to tell him that he was being a pervert, that he should not just be doing such things without Hinata's permission, that he would disgust her and turn her away. _'Couples do stuff like this all the time. After all, she didn't get upset with me the last time.' _After last night's events, he now knew that Hinata was fully capable of stopping him if he overstepped his boundaries. It had taken him a while to realize what she had done, and it was oddly reassuring knowing the kunoichi was so crafty. At least he wouldn't need to worry about losing self-control and taking advantage of her. If she wanted to go further she would let him, if she didn't she wouldn't.

These thoughts clouded Naruto's awareness so much that he did not even know how the pair ended up sitting on the couch. Parting for air, their lips wet and swollen, Naruto went down further and attacked her neck. Hinata released pleased mewls as his tongue dance on her smooth skin, his mouth licking and nipping its way to her collarbone and back up to her jawline.

Since Hinata seemed to be fine with everything he was doing so far, the whiskered teen decided to take a chance. Sucking hard enough to leave a mark on her skin in his lust-driven state, he pushed aside his waning doubt and cupped a breast. This saw the deprived girl's sounds rise in volume.

Wasting no time, the impatient Uzumaki took this as a sign to continue further. In a flash his hands were under her tight tank top. Hinata almost did not notice when it was gone; she was consumed by the warming, pleasurable sensations of Naruto's touch. Not wasting his time fumbling with the clasp of his lover's bra, he simply yanked it down, spilling Hinata's plump mounds out for him to see.

They were as big, and as round, and as beautiful as he remembered. But he did not stare at them. No, he was not there to admire them. He devoured them, like a starving man at a buffet. He squeezed the fatty globes ravenously, his mouth latching onto her flesh, suckling and stretching it before releasing it with a percussive 'pop'. He feasted on her rosy peaks, kissing and licking them with all he had until Hinata was a mindless heap beneath him, crying out his name in ecstasy.

Reluctantly, Hinata pulled her crazed lover up for a hard kiss. "Why don't we move to the bed," she suggested on a breathless pant.

'_Score!'_ The end of his torturous blue-balling was finally within reach, only eight feet away. Hinata 'eeped' as Naruto hauled her into his arms and carried her, not once letting her touch the ground. He rushed her over to the bed, where she landed on her belly.

She moved to sit up, but as soon as she had gotten on her hands and knees, her shorts and panties were pulled down to her knees from behind. She screamed as Naruto dove in between her legs, invading her already sopping pussy with his mouth in a rough kiss. He tasted her abundant womanly nectar, the intense scent of her arousal adding fuel to his fire. He could not wait any longer.

The horny shinobi backed up, and all Hinata heard was a zipper before his erect rod pushed into her inner walls. "Yes!" she shouted as the heat from his cock seared her insides with a long-desired pleasure.

Her arms and knees became weak as he pumped into her at a frantic pace, the sloshing of her juices audible over her loud moans. Her upper body fell to the bed, her ass suspended only by Naruto's secure grip on her waist.

Hinata's first time was a magical moment. Consummating her new relationship with the man she loved, her long time dreams coming to fruition in the midst of a soul-searing climax… It was unforgettable. But this… This was completely different from that first time. Before Naruto was passionate, but also hesitant, gentle, careful. This Naruto was wild and reckless, almost animalistic. Last time, he had explored her body, but this time, he was claiming her. Letting her know that she was his, and only his.

To say that Hinata loved this aggressive side of Naruto would be an understatement. He drove her wild.

"Ah! Take me, 'Ruto!" she screamed. He responded with a hungry growl as he continued his thrusts with wild abandon. Hinata could feel him rubbing every inch of her passage for as deep as his cock could reach, stimulating the sensitive nerves at breakneck speed. He was in complete control; all she could do was lie there and cry for more as she took the pounding. She could not even move her hips in time with his, as every attempt just caused her bare ass to meet a powerful collision with his pelvis, nearly knocking her off her knees and digging her face and breasts deeper into the mattress. She was completely in his hands.

They continued fucking like this, still half dressed, their garments just moved out of the way. After a while of buildup, their releases were at hand.

"Oh, shit baby! I'm almost there! Make me, make me cum Narutoooo!"

The slick velvety walls of Hinata's cunt constricted him as she reached her first screaming orgasm of the night, adding more friction to his powerful thrusts. With a grunt, Naruto buried his throbbing manhood as deep as it would go and shot his seed into her.

* * *

'_I can't believe her. I swear to kami if she's drinking again I'm going to cancel every sake shipment to the village until she learns her lesson.'_

Shizune weaved purposefully through the village on this peaceful morning, making a beeline to her superior's house. She was appalled by Tsunade's lack of concern towards her job. If she did not care if she was late for her duties, perhaps her apprentice would quit fetching her and let her deal with the consequences.

Shizune stormed through the door, finding the Senju still in her room. "What do you think you're doing right now? You know there is a meeting with the village council, and you're l-"

The words died on the medic's tongue as she took in her boss' appearance and froze. Tsunade had what seemed to be her usual robes on – only this pair was about five sizes too small. They top was not long enough to cover her entire torso, reaching only down to her belly button. Not to mention her oversized bosom was threatening to burst out of its confines, an absurdly inappropriate amount of cleavage displayed. The sanin actually had to hold it shut to prevent it from tearing apart. Her pants were no better, clinging to her legs higher and more snugly than usual. They even bunched up at the junction of her legs, creating a clearly pronounced cameltoe.

Shizune gaped. The grown woman even had to cover her eyes from the lewdness of the image in front of her.

"T-Tsunade-sama! You can't go to the m-meeting like _that_!"

"You think I don't know that!" the indecent Kage shouted back.

"Then change!"

"I **can't**! Some dirty bastard did this to **all** my clothes!"

* * *

Unfortunately, Tsunade's predicament was not the most unpleasant surprise that morning in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Even in the wake of its previous decimation, peace was always short-lived in the shinobi world, and it is only a matter of time until trouble comes knocking at your door.

"I'm coming already!" a grumpy middle-aged man shouted to the nuisance that kept knocking on his door. He was not a morning person, and this guy was testing his patience.

He opened his front door to see a man with slicked-back grey hair and an oddly familiar cloak on.

"What is it?" the man asked impatiently.

"Good day, sir. Have you heard the good word?" the stranger asked wearily.

The home-owner mentally groaned. _'Not one of those religious bible-pushers. They should've all been wiped out in the attack.'_

The cranky man gave his gruff reply. "Thanks, but I already have a god."

He went to slam the door, but the stranger stopped it with his foot. "Then why don't you meet him."

The man looked down, to see a crimson scythe sticking out of his stomach. "The church of Jashin has no need for the weak."

* * *

**A/N: ...Betcha weren't expecting the doule-meaning of the title, huh?**

**Alright, first of all, a quick **REMINDER** - I never wrote about the Hidan and Kakazu arc in this fic, because – well, I just didn't have any use for it in the story. And I left Asuma alive and Kurenai sans-baby, so I decided that the arc is to have never happened in this timeline, and Hidan and Kakazu until this point were still at large.****

**What's going to happen next? Will the village survive this new attack? Will I attempt to write action? Will the series finally have a decent plot? And will Tsunade ever find a shirt big enough for her bewbs?! (…Let's hope not, heheh…) Tune in next time to find out! **

**FAVE/FOLLOW/REVIEW/SMOKE WEED/FUCK BITCHES!**


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